Child of Destiny
by roofietoof
Summary: Apollo and Starbuck are given the chance to become what they were always meant to become, but in a highly unusual way. AU after the events of Resurrection Ship Pt.1. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**This story will obviously become AU as season 2.5 progresses, but it is my take on what would happen as things stand after Resurrection Ship.**

* * *

"I hate this place." Kara said as she sat next to Lee in the sickbay waiting room. 

"Yeah." He answered inattentively.

"Seems like every time I'm in here, I lose something." She closed her eyes as memories invaded her mind.

_That knee of yours is like a smashed melon, Lieutenant. I know you don't wanna hear this, but you may never fly again._

_I don't know everything that they did to you on Caprica, Lt. Thrace. But your test results are pretty clear. One ovary is gone; the other has been damaged severely. It would be a near impossibility for you to ever conceive a child._

_Helo's_ _gone, Starbuck. He was dead when they brought him in here. There was nothing I could do._

"Yeah." Lee mumbled, tearing her away from her thoughts as he looked at the clock on the wall. "I hope this doesn't take too long."

"Gods, Lee." Kara sneered at him. "Do you think if you really dug deep down, you could be a little less callous?"

"What do you want me to say, Kara?" Lee hissed back.

"Sharon's _dying_, Lee."

"Sharon doesn't exist." He pointed to the room that they stood outside of. "And that thing in there is _not _dying. Her system's failing, her hard drive is crashing, so you'll excuse me if I'm not exactly tearing up here."

"Fine." She said quietly as she gestured to the door. "Then why don't you just _go_?"

Lee looked to his chest. "The Cylon asked to see both of us. And for some reason, the President feels it's important that we grant the request."

Kara sighed and let her head fall back to the wall behind her. "Is the baby okay?"

"Are we actually gonna call it '_the baby'_?" He muttered under his breath.

"Frak off, Lee." Kara rose from her chair and walked to the other side of the room before turning back to him. "That's Helo's child that you're talking about."

Lee looked up at her. "What's your point?"

"Gods." Kara choked, tears threatening to form in her eyes. "How could you have switched gears so fast? You were sad when Helo was killed. And you were compassionate when we went to the cell to tell Sharon."

"I was sad and compassionate because _you_ were upset. Now, Helo was your friend and he was a good man, but he made a mistake by getting involved in this freakshow. I don't harbor any deep-seeded connection to the Cylon or the………….."

"Baby." Kara affirmed. "And yes, we _are_ actually gonna call it '_the baby'._"

Lee breathed deep, realizing that he had gone too far, and moved to placate her. "The nurse tells me that the baby is fine."

"Is she going to stay that way?" Kara asked sadly. "What is Roslin planning on doing with her?"

"I don't know." Lee responded truthfully. "I don't even think _she _knows what she's going to do."

"Do you know how hard this is for me? Helo was one of my best friends. Hell, he was one of the few men in this world that I ever trusted that didn't have Adama as their last name. And he was killed protecting Sharon and their child. When those Pegasus goons came for her, he killed rather than let anything happen to her, and then _he_ was killed because of that. And she………." Kara sucked in a harsh breath and pointed to the next room. "She was my friend too. Maybe that Sharon wasn't the one that I knew for two years, but she saved my life. She saved all of our lives."

"I'm still not entirely convinced that she didn't do those things for her own benefit." Lee said simply. "And do you know how hard it is for _me_? Looking at the same face that shot my father right in front of me, and _allowing _her to save our lives?"

Kara sat back down next to him and exhaled. "Okay, so your bitterness is justified. But at least _try _to suppress it while we're in there talking to her, would you?"

He smiled slightly. "I'll do my best. But I can't make you any promises."

"Do you think you could promise _me?_" President Roslin's voice spoke from where she stood in the door frame with Billy and Dr. Baltar standing behind her. Lee and Kara rose from their seats as she came to stand before them. "We still have questions that we need to ask her, information that we need to glean from her. Information that may be vital to our continued survival, and the Cylon seems willing to help us if we grant her requests before she dies."

"What were her requests?" Kara asked nervously.

"The only thing she asked of me was the opportunity to speak to the two of you."

"Did you get the feeling that she wants something out of us?" Lee asked, just as nervously as Kara.

"Absolutely." Roslin nodded. "And I don't know what she wants, but whatever her request is………….I want you to grant it."

Lee and Kara's eyes both widened in shock. "Excuse me?" Lee chuckled skeptically.

"I don't care if she wants one of your internal organs; tell her whatever she wants to hear. The Cylon will be dead soon, she won't be around to see if we really keep our word. And I assure you, I have no intention of keeping our word. But she will not help us until she thinks she is getting what she wants."

"What are you going to do with the baby?" Kara whispered.

"I don't know." Roslin let her eyes drop down. "I'm ashamed to admit that part of me was relieved when I thought that I would be dead by the time we were faced with that decision. But then the pregnancy was accelerated and now the baby's fate rests in my hands, instead of my successor." Roslin subtly looked over to where Baltar was standing. "Perhaps that is a blessing."

Baltar crossed his arms over his chest in defiance of the President's underhanded insult. "The child would be an invaluable test subject. A half Cylon- half human specimen that gestated in her mother's womb at such an increased rate. We've never encountered anything like it. The data that I could collect from studying the child would be astounding, and it would help immensely in our struggle against the Cylons. If I could be allowed to take the baby—."

"I'd rather the President toss it out the airlock then let you have that child!" Kara hissed looking directly at him, her face distorted in rage.

Out of Baltar's view, Roslin covered her mouth to hide a slight grin.

"Kara." Lee placed a hand on her arm as a warning.

"Are you going to let her talk to you like that, Gaius?" Number Six whispered in his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked back to Kara.

"I think that anything would be better than letting that child's life end." Baltar spoke, looking at Kara, but speaking to both blond women.

"Nothing is going to happen to the child, Gaius." Six purred reassuringly. "Events have been set in motion, something stronger than the people in this room will protect our daughter."

"That's good to hear." Baltar mumbled as he nodded to himself. Then he looked up at the other people in the room that were staring at him like he had lost his mind.

The President turned to Billy to give him a pointed look and Kara shook her head at Lee before turning back to the President. "Madam President." She said. "Just promise me that you'll consider all of the options before you make any decisions."

"I will." Roslin assured. "And certainly, some options…………" She again looked at Baltar out of the corner of her eye. "………will only be considered as a last resort."

Cottle walked out of the room. "This isn't exactly the best place for a social gathering." He said as he took a drag on his cigarette. "There's a woman dying in the next room."

Roslin nodded in understanding. "Exactly _what _is she dying of, Doctor?"

"She's just dying, Madam President." Cottle answered. "Her body is just giving out."

"Based on everything that Doctor Cottle and I have uncovered on Cylon physiology and reproduction, it is entirely possible that they were just not built for the trauma of pregnancy and birth." Baltar interjected. "It may have been too much for her body to take. The life, or whatever it was that kept her alive, it just draining from her."

"She's ready for you now." Cottle pointed at Lee and Kara and then to room that he had just come out of. Lee and Kara reluctantly walked into the room and Cottle closed the door.

"Doctor." Roslin said softly. "What's going on with the baby? Where is it?"

"In the diagnostic center." Cottle replied. "We got her cleaned up and now we're running a few tests. Non-evasive tests: bloodwork, a couple of scans."

"And what is the status of the child?" Baltar asked, interrupting the President and Cottle's conversation.

"Healthy. Perfectly healthy, albeit with some unusual differences from most newborns."

"Like?" Roslin asked hesitantly.

"She seems remarkably aware, almost communicative." Cottle puffed on his cigarette. "And she's gained half a pound since the last time we weighed her, just 45 minutes ago."

"Meaning?" Roslin questioned.

"Meaning," Baltar answered for Cottle. "That the accelerated development was not just a gestational abnormality. If things continue like this, the child will age rapidly as well.

"My gods." Roslin said as she looked at the now closed door to where the Cylon was resting.

* * *

On the other side of the door, Lee and Kara stood at the foot of the sickbay bed. 

"My gods." Kara whispered. "She looks so small."

"Is she dead? Or just asleep?" Lee asked softly.

"Neither." The Cylon answered, her eyes still closed. "I was praying."

"I think your God has given up on you, Sharon." Kara said gently, coming to stand beside her bed as Lee stood on the other side.

"Maybe I wasn't praying to _that _god." Sharon replied as she opened her eyes and gave a small smile.

Lee breathed deep to try and still the rage that he felt coursing through him. "You wanted to see us?" He questioned brusquely.

"Yes." Sharon answered simply. "I want you to know that I………….." She looked at Kara. "I genuinely loved Helo. I know that it originally started out as a deception, but it didn't end that way. I was given a task, and I thought that I was doing the right thing by working to accomplish it. But then I saw how much Helo loved Sharon," Tears started to fall down her face. "How much he loved _me_. I'd never felt that kind of love before, and I wanted my child to be born into it. I wanted to raise my daughter with Helo, and I wanted to share that love with her."

"Can we skip the touchy-feely crap and just get to the point?" Lee sneered.

"Will you shut the frak up?" Kara hissed back at him.

Lee ran his hand over his face and through his hair. He then turned away from the bed and sat down in the chair against the wall.

Sharon watched him walk away and closed her eyes again. "I realize that is not a possibility now. Helo's gone and I'll soon go to meet him in the afterlife."

"What makes you think the afterlife will even take you?" Lee mumbled.

Kara faced him, her whole body flushed red with anger. "Lee Adama, so help me gods, you say another word like that and I will hurl you out of this room!" She screamed.

"No." Sharon pleaded, grabbing Kara's arm and looking her in the eye. "I want him to, I _need_ him to stay." She then looked to Lee. "I knew what I was; I knew what we had done. I don't expect to be forgiven for my sins. But Apollo, they are _my _sins. My child did nothing; she is innocent of all of this. And she needs to be given a chance."

"I feel no animosity towards your………_baby_." Lee stated as he looked at Kara.

"Good." Sharon smiled, wiping away a tear on her cheek. "Do you remember that day two months ago? When the two of you came to my cell and told me that Helo had died?"

"Yes." Kara whispered, almost to herself as her face crumpled in pain.

"You were hesitant with me, formal even. Almost as if you didn't quite believe that the grief I felt was real. You both just stood there as I cried."

"Are you trying to make us feel guilty that we didn't console you?" Kara asked in disbelief. "What were we supposed to do? Put a hand on your shoulder and tell you that everything would be alright?"

"No. I never expected you to do that." Sharon confirmed. "You're missing the point. The point is that you were consoling _each other_. I saw what would happen when it all got to be too much for one of you. You would give each other a look, and instantly you were comforted, fortified." Sharon paused and looked at Lee. "And then I looked at you and asked you: 'do you know what it's like to lose the love of your life?', and you looked away from me and said 'no'."

"What does any of this have to do with anything?" Lee asked incredulously.

Sharon looked to her hands. "I saw it that day, looking at the two of you." She looked back up. "I can't raise my child. But I still want her to be raised in love." She took a breath to steady her resolve. "I want the two of you to raise her."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FRAKKING MIND?" The voice was so loud that it could be heard from outside the door.

"Kara." Lee said holding up his hands to soothe her. "Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Lee!" She yelled. "Did you hear what she just said?"

"Yes." Lee nodded, willing her to understand. "And did you hear what the President said to us before?"

"I don't care, Lee." She shook her head. "I don't care what the President said."

"Starbuck?" Sharon lightly touched Kara's hand.

Kara pulled back from the gesture as if Sharon had burned her. "Don't touch me."

"Maybe we should go." Lee whispered.

"No." Kara said harshly. "I wanna stay. I wanna find out exactly what it was that made her think we would do the thing that she wants us to do. Now, I felt something for you." She said glaring at Sharon. "Sympathy, even a totally frakked up version of gratitude…………because of Helo and because of what you've done for us. But now I really want to know what glitch in your software made you even consider asking this of us."

"I see you, Kara." Sharon stated simply. "I see you better than you see yourself. I see _both _of you better than you see yourselves, because I can look past all of the screw-ups, all of the insecurities, and all of the defenses that you build. I see beyond the yesterday and today. I see tomorrow."

"You see the truths that float past us in the stream, blah blah blah." Kara stated bluntly. "Your vision is _blurred_."

"Surely you must understand," Lee said, looking at Sharon. "That the idea of what you're asking is not easy for us to grasp."

"Nothing is easy." Sharon replied. "Nothing that is worth doing, anyways. The road that leads you to what you want is not always the road that you set out on. If anybody knows that, it's me."

"_What I want_?" Kara sneered. "I don't want to raise your child! Sharon, I wouldn't even want to raise _my_ child."

"Well, that's never gonna happen, is it?" Sharon said sadly. "You'll never have a child of your own."

"I suggest you shut your mouth." Kara seethed through clenched teeth.

"What is she talking about?" Lee asked softly, staring into Kara's eyes.

"I can't have kids." Kara said non-chalantly, waving her hand as if the statement was a pest that she had to shoo away. "Not after what they did to me in that Farm."

"Unbelieveable." Lee shook his head and glared at Sharon. "And you have the nerve to—."

Sharon interrupted, speaking to Kara. "I saw how you would look at me when you would come to visit me in my cell. I saw how your eyes would cloud over in pain when you looked at me getting bigger and bigger every week."

"You went and saw her _every week_?" Lee asked Kara in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Why would you do that?" He asked in an awe that conveyed both anger and a little fear.

"Because some of us can't cut people out of our lives as easily as other people can!" Kara hissed at him. She then turned back to Sharon. "Do you wanna know what I felt when Cottle told me that I couldn't have kids? I felt _relief_. Relief that I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore, that I would never have to fear letting it happen by accident." Kara let out a large breath and her voice got very low. "Some women can't have children, and some women shouldn't be mothers. The loose ends get tied up quite nicely when those two truths apply to the same woman."

"But it's _not_ true." Sharon whispered, looking at a spot on the wall. "You _should_ be a mother, and you will be. All you have to do is give yourself over to what your true purpose is."

"Don't do that!" Kara yelled at her. "It may not have been something that I particularly wanted to hold onto, but your robot friends still _ripped_ it from me. They took something that was mine, and I don't like that. And for you to try and use my infertility to tug at my heartstrings and manipulate me into babysitting your kid is beyond low."

"And what about me?" Lee asked simply. "I don't even like you. Not at all. What would make you think that I would want to do this for you?"

"This isn't about me." Sharon stated harshly, looking at Lee. "You hold onto things. You carry bitterness and anger around with you, and you let it seep into your heart. And it makes you less than what you could be. But I see what you truly are." She smiled gently. "I see what you are capable of when you decide to let all of that go. The last time you forgave, you got your family back. You show mercy this time, and your family will grow."

"We're not capable of this, Sharon." Lee whispered. "We wouldn't even know where to start."

"She'll show you. My daughter will show you." She paused. "In spite of what you felt were misjudgments on his part, you tried to save Helo. You couldn't……. but it was enough that you tried."

"Helo was a part of Galactica, we don't leave anybody behind." Lee looked away from her. "We're a family, we're all we have left."

"Go ask Cottle for my baby's bloodwork." Sharon pointed to the door. "It will show you, she is the child of Lt. Karl Agathon and Lt. Sharon Valerii. Maybe the second part doesn't mean anything to you, but the fact that you were willing to risk your life to rescue Helo obviously shows that the first part does. You can't leave his daughter behind. This ship was our home, the people on it were our family. She _belongs_ here."

"Please don't try to use Helo to make us—." Kara whispered in an agonized voice.

Sharon looked back to Kara. "When you were torturing him, Leoben told you that was not your path. And he was right. Your path is not pain and intimidation, Kara. You're not like your mother. You have a different destiny." Sharon watched as Kara's face grew serene and she nodded. "And destiny is not about who you are, it is about what you will become. And we knew who you were, Kara. You were chosen, and I don't just mean by Roslin." Sharon reached to take Kara's hand, and this time, Kara didn't pull away. Sharon then looked back to Lee. "You were both meant to change the world. And the best way to do that is to start with the children."

"Sharon, I can't even…………….I'm not right for this. You don't want me to do this." Kara pleaded near tears.

"Yes." Sharon nodded. "I do. I want both of you to do it. It is my last request."

"Alright." Kara whispered as Sharon's words and the President's mingled together in her head. Lee looked up and locked gazes with her as she raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side. "We'll do it."

Lee saw the strange look in her eyes, and knew that Kara had to get out of that room. He also knew that it would only take a few hollow words to end of all this.

Sharon looked at Lee and he nodded. "We'll do it. It's crazy, but so is everything else left in this world. Besides…………." He said gesturing at Kara. "I like crazy. How do you think I put up with her?"

Sharon laughed with relief. "Good." She closed her eyes. "You can tell the President to come in now. I'll give her the information that she needs."

* * *

When the two of them came out of the room, Lee closed the door and then leaned heavily against the wall. "My gods." He uttered. 

Kara looked at Roslin with a blank expression. "We granted her request. She'll tell you what you want to know now."

"What?" Roslin asked nervously. "What did she want from you?"

Lee spoke up. "She wants us to raise her child."

"I'm sorry?" Roslin asked in amazement. She then was silent for a moment as she tried to find her words. "She actually said that she wanted you to—."

"She wants us to raise her baby." Kara confirmed.

The President laughed skeptically. "And what did you say?"

"We did what you said." Kara said numbly. "We told her what she wanted to hear. Now she'll tell you what you want to hear."

"So you agreed to it?" Roslin asked, and then watched as Lee nodded in the affirmative. "I'm amazed at the two of you. I never imagined she would ask something so ridiculous. You truly went above and beyond."

"We only did what you told us to do." Lee assured her. "It won't matter anyways, they're just words."

"Still, I know it must have been hard for both of you. And I'm sorry I had to ask such a thing of you."

"Go get what you need from her, Ma'am." Lee said.

"Thank you, Captains. I thank you both." Roslin walked to the door and then turned back around. "I'm afraid I have one last favor to ask of you. Will you stay? Until she………..in case she needs to speak to you again?"

"We'll be right here." Kara confirmed as she sat back down in the waiting area chair.

Roslin nodded in gratitude and then walked into Sharon's room.

* * *

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that." Lee said as he waited next to Kara. 

"Which part?" Kara asked softly.

"All of it." He answered, and then waited a few moments before speaking again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it didn't matter." Kara said, looking away.

"Still, you shouldn't have gone through that alone."

"I'm used to being alone. I thought I liked it that way, no entanglements, nothing to hold me back, no one to let down when I inevitably screw up. I thought I liked it that way." Kara paused and clenched her eyes shut. "I'm not so sure anymore."

"Don't let her get to you like that, Kara." He reached over and took her hand. "This will all be over soon."

She turned back to face him. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Just then the door opened and a rather dazed looking President came out. Doctor Cottle saw her condition and walked over to her, taking her wrist to check her pulse. "Madam President?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She assured him, covering his hand with her other one. "Doctor Cottle? We need a priest."

"There isn't one." Cottle told her. "Not on Galactica."

"Then contact any other ships that may have one."

"I'll call the Ethereal Dawn. It's a missionary ship. I'll get one of their priests to come over." Cottle said.

"Tell them to come quickly." Roslin pleaded. "She is fading fast."

Cottle nodded and then went to the nearest phone. Lee and Kara rose from their chairs and stood before the President. "Ma'am, why do you need a priest?" Lee asked softly.

"Last rites." Roslin muttered unconvincingly.

"Last rites?" Lee asked in disbelief. "Why would a Cylon ask for one of our priests to give her last rites? And more importantly, why would you allow it?"

Roslin looked up at Lee. "I once told your father something that President Adar had once told me. 'The great thing about being President is that you don't have to explain yourself to anyone.' That includes you, Captain." She then turned to face Cottle as he walked back to her.

"The priest will be here in twenty minutes." Cottle said.

"Good." Roslin replied. "I'll be in there………..waiting with Sharon." She then turned and walked back in the room.

"What the frak is going on, Lee?" Kara asked softly.

"I don't know, Kara." He answered. "I just don't know."

* * *

The priest came and immediately went into Sharon's room, and the three of them stayed in there for close to an hour. 

"I don't understand this." Lee stopped pacing around the room long enough to stop in front of Doc Cottle. "What the hell is going on in there?"

"You're asking me?" Cottle asked. "I don't have X-ray vision, I know about as much as you do. Now sit your ass back down. Your pacing is making me dizzy."

Lee complied with the order and sat down next to Kara, who had barely moved in the last 45 minutes. "You're not saying much."

"I'm just thinking." She replied.

"About what?"

"Huh?" She looked up at him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I wasn't." She shook her head. "I misspoke. I wasn't thinking so much as feeling. I have this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something is about to happen. But I don't know what, and trying to fight it is exhausting me so much that I feel like I could sleep for a thousand years."

"Kara, you've just gotta—." Lee stopped as the door opened, and they both stood up.

President Roslin and the priest came into the waiting area. "And you're sure that we won't need an attorney of some kind?"

"No. According to Colonial religious doctrine, a member of the clergy is qualified to oversee the transfer of rights. Verbal termination is acceptable in Sharon's case, given her condition, but Captains Thrace and Adama will have to have to sign a written application."

"And you can set that up?" Roslin asked him quietly.

"Yes, I'll just need a few minutes." The priest walked to the door and then turned back to Lee and Kara and smiled. "May the gods bless you on your noble journey." He then left sickbay.

Lee and Kara both stood gaping at the door, then reluctantly turned to face Roslin. "Um, Madam President?" Lee asked, the fear reverberating in his voice. "I say this with all due respect, but what the hell is he talking about?"

"Sit down, please. Both of you." She gestured back to the chairs and motioned for Billy to bring forward another so that she could sit in front of them. "That was Father Monseau, he is an Artemial priest from the Ethereal Dawn, and he has just gone to draft a document for the two of you to sign that would give you full parental rights to the child."

"We really have to go that far?" Kara asked sadly. "Sharon is really expecting us to sign legal documents?"

The President took a breath. "Sharon died, five minutes ago. This is not for her."

"Ma'am—." Lee began before he was cut off.

"She knew. Sharon knew that you were lying to her, she knew that you had no intention of honoring your word, and she knew that I had asked you to deceive her." Roslin placed a hand on Lee's arm and one on Kara's knee. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but…………I want you to do it."

"I'm sorry?" Lee laughed softly as Kara raised a hand to cradle her forehead. "You want us to do what?"

"It is, of course, entirely your decision, but I want you to seriously consider raising the child."

"What in the name of everything holy has gotten into you?" Lee inquired in shock.

"When I was in there with her, she touched my arm, and I saw something." Roslin answered.

"You had a hallucination?" Billy asked worriedly, coming up to stand behind her.

"It was more than that, I had a vision." She confirmed.

"Great, that's just great." Lee said sarcastically. "You have a frakking daydream in the presence of the toaster and now we're just supposed to buy into all the Cylon crap that it's feeding us?"

Roslin watched as Billy walked over to the phone, picked up the receiver and asked for CIC. She then turned back to Lee. "This has nothing to do with the Cylons. This is about humanity, and that child can help us, she will _save_ us."

"Exactly how will she do that, Ma'am?" Kara spoke in child-like voice.

Roslin began reluctantly. "She will heal us; she will make us trust again. She will bring us all together, and in that love we will find our salvation."

"This is so frakked up, I can't even comprehend it." Lee muttered as he stood up and went to the other side of the room. "We cannot allow a Cylon, even a half-human hybrid one to remain on this ship or anywhere else in the fleet."

"She will not hurt us." Roslin stood and walked to him. "I have been given a message from the gods. I have a feeling down to the core of my being that tells me that we must protect this child with every resource that we have, and this child must grow among us. If we do this, no harm will come to us. In fact, we will be given an immeasurable blessing."

"You have a _feeling_?" Lee said, his voice getting more insulted by the moment. "Is it the same feeling that you had about the Arrow of Apollo and the Tomb of Athena? Is the message the same one that you got from the gods that led us to find the map that has led us _nowhere_?" He sucked in a harsh breath. "I took an oath to protect this fleet, and I can't stand aside and just rely on the gods to protect us. Not when everything has shown me that the gods have abandoned us."

Roslin lowered her head in shame. "Our journey is not over with. Now, I can't lead you to the destination, but I can set you on the right path." She looked back up to him. "Something is happening here, Captain. Something greater than we could ever imagine, and it is going to require a huge leap of faith."

"Well," Lee said as he walked back over to Kara and stood beside her chair, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We won't be doing any jumping today."

Kara had been sitting quietly, looking to her hands and then over to the room that held the body of the woman she had thought was her friend as Lee and the President had been conversing. She then felt Lee's hand and was brought out of her trance. "Yeah." Kara said firmly, looking up into his eyes. "Uh-huh. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do it."

At Kara's words, Roslin sunk down into the nearest chair and covered her eyes in relief.

Lee shook his head in disbelief and knelt before Kara, grasping her hand in his. "What are you talking about? You don't know what you're doing." He pleaded with her, his eyes filled with fear.

"You're right." She answered simply. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"Kara, think about this for a—."

"Nope. Don't want to." Kara pulled away from him and stood up. "And that feeling that the President has, the one that you were mocking just now? I have it too. And I don't want to over-think this. This feels _right_, Lee. And I don't want to pick it apart ad nauseam until I come up with a huge list of reasons that this should feel wrong." She turned to Doc Cottle. "Go get her, I want to see her."

Cottle looked at the President in apprehension until she spoke. "Do it." Roslin ordered in her most authoritative voice. Cottle went off into another room.

"Kara, I realize that this has all been very tough on you. Obviously you went through some type of trauma—." Lee began, only to be cut off.

"Don't you dare try to brush this off as Post Traumatic Stress, give me a little more credit than that." She hissed back at him.

"What the hell else am I supposed to think?" He shot back. "How else would you explain this lunacy?"

"It's not lunacy." She explained.

"You want to raise the Cylon's baby!" He screamed.

"She's NOT the Cylon's baby." She screamed back, near tears as she trembled where she stood. "She's _mine_. I want her, and nobody is gonna tell me I can't have her!"

"What the hell is going on?" A gruff voice asked from the door. Roslin, Lee and Kara all turned to see Commander Adama standing in the hatchway. "I get a message over the P.A. from CIC, telling me to get down here right away and I find the two of you screaming at each other." He pointed to Lee and Kara. "Now granted, that's not unusual. But somehow, the content of the argument seems rather odd. Kara, what did you say about a baby?"

"Commander—." The President began, rising from her chair.

"Oh good. Dad, you're just in time." Lee laughed sarcastically. "It seems the two women closest to you have lost their frakking minds!"

"What is going on?" Adama rasped.

"Captain Thrace has agreed to raise the child." Roslin explained.

"Is there another child that I'm not aware of? Because if you're speaking of the child that I think you're speaking of, then I'm going to have a serious problem with this." The Commander warned.

"No. It's the same child." The President answered. "It needs to be raised among us, and Captain Thrace has agreed to do it. I was hoping that Captain Apollo would agree as well but—."

"But my son is the only one of you that has any sense!" Adama yelled at her.

"I'm doing this, Commander." Kara told him. "And you can't—."

"That's enough!" He yelled at Kara. "I cannot allow this."

"You wanna toss that baby out the airlock? Fine, go ahead. I just have to warn you, I'll be going with her if you do." She said defiantly.

Lee plopped heavily into the chair. "I've gotta wake up. This has got to be a dream, a frakking nightmare." He muttered to himself.

Adama turned to Roslin and gave her his patented death glare. "Just what is it that you think you are doing? I found a way to put up with your religious crap, because you believed in it and because it was the only way to preserve the fleet, but I will not allow you to spread this nonsense if it means the destruction of my family!"

"I'm trying to save your family, Commander Adama." Roslin answered back in a loud voice.

"By allowing something that nearly killed me to be a part of it?" He asked in stunned disbelief.

"The child didn't do that. And I hate to point this out…………" She pointed to Sharon's room. "But neither did her mother."

"They're all the same." He hissed.

"No. They're not!" Kara hissed back. "Not every Cylon is the same, just as every human isn't."

"Kara!" Lee screamed, standing back up. "Just what the frak is _wrong_ with you?"

"Stop asking me that! I won't let you make me feel stupid just because I want to believe in something other than cynicism and hatred."

"I'm not trying to make you feel stupid." Lee answered. "I'm trying to protect you!"

"And I'm trying to protect her. That is the most im—."

"Will you all please shut your damn mouths for two seconds?" Cottle hissed as he came back into the room followed by a nurse that carried a bundle in her arms. "This is going to be scary enough for her without the four of you screaming at each other when she meets you for the first time." Cottle motioned for the nurse to come forward and give the baby to Kara.

The nurse stepped forward and Kara stepped back for a second, as she ran her hands through her hair in worry.

"It's okay, Captain Thrace." The President calmed her.

"I'm not afraid of her." Kara corrected. "I'm just afraid of………….myself. If that makes any sense?"

The nurse laughed. "It makes more sense than you will ever know."

Kara stepped forward. "Give her to me." She ordered as the nurse again came forward, placing the child in her arms.

"Watch her head." The nurse said. "Just put her in the crook of your elbow like……..yes, there you go. That's it."

"What do I do now?" Kara asked in a small voice, looking up at Cottle.

"You're just gonna have to wing it, Starbuck." Cottle replied, chuckling slightly. "You're good at that."

Kara looked at the baby, a tiny, graceful little thing that stared right back at her. She blinked and then raised her hand to grasp at the air before lowering it again as she put it in her mouth to suck on it.

Kara let out a breathy, nervous laugh. "This feels, I don't know, this just feels—."

"It's normal for mothers to feel weird when they hold their babies for the first time." Cottle told her.

"Well, then, I feel completely _normal_." She grinned her Starbuck grin. "But all in all, it's not an entirely unpleasant feeling."

President Roslin stepped up and gently touched Kara's elbow as she looked down at the child. "She's beautiful, Captain Thrace."

Lee just stood there gaping at the scene before him. "I can't believe you are actually doing this." He looked at Kara, and then turned to his father. "Dad, will you do something?"

Commander Adama stepped forward. "Kara—."

Roslin lifted her head to look at the two of them. "The two of you claim to know Captain Thrace better than anyone. So tell me, gentlemen, why is it that you are the only people in this room that don't realize she is _not_ going to be talked out of this?"

That stopped both of them where they stood. Cottle laughed and motioned for the nurse to follow him out of the room.

"Madam President?" Father Monseau questioned as he came into the room just as the doctor and the nurse were leaving. "I think I have everything in order. I will handle the religious doctrinal aspect of the transfer and given that you are the President of the Twelve Colonies, I'd say you are adequate to represent the legal facet." He showed the President the documents and she motioned for Billy to bring her glasses to her so that she could read them.

Kara looked over at the document as well; she then tried to adjust the baby in her arms so that she could get a closer look. Finally she gave up and walked over to Lee. "Take her." She said to him.

"Not a chance in hell." He replied coldly.

"Do it or I'll never speak to you again." She watched as he shook his head. "Oh, for fraks sake, Lee. I'm not asking you to put her through college, just hold her so I can sign the damn paper."

Lee looked around the room and saw that Roslin and Monseau were busy looking over the document and that Billy was on the phone. He silently prayed for Cottle to come back into the room, but then saw the irritation growing in Kara's eyes and held out his arms.

Kara placed the child in them gently. "Just hold her." She said as she walked away. "I'll be right back."

Lee tried with all his might not to look down at the baby's face, but then she made a small sound and he glanced into her eyes. "Huh." He uttered in amazement.

"What, son?" Commander Adama asked as he moved closer.

"She has blue eyes." Lee answered softly.

"What does that have to do with—." The Commander stopped as he looked down at the baby's face. "Well, look at that. They _are _blue." He smiled as she cooed up at him. "She has nice eyes."

"You'll have to change this part." Kara told Father Monseau as she pointed to a clause in the document. "You'll have to change it so that I _alone_ have full parental rights."

Monseau looked up at the President nervously, and then over at Kara. "Captain Adama will not be taking part in the adoption?"

"No." Kara breathed out sadly as Roslin shook her head. "It seems Captain Adama wants nothing to do with the baby."

Roslin looked over in the direction of the sound of gentle gurgling and smiled. "Actually, Captain Thrace?" She pointed over to the two Adama men. Lee was smiling gently as he stared at the child, and Commander Adama was lightly caressing her head. "You may have spoken too soon in that regard."

Kara turned to face them fully just as Lee looked up at her and caught her gaze.

And in that instant, Kara knew. Lee had become a father.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

"This is insane." Kara stated as she looked down at the baby lying on the sickbay bed looking up at her and Lee.

"Actually, it's beyond insane." Lee amended, looking away from the child long enough to look at Kara. "Isn't it great?" He smiled.

She laughed heartily and then took in a deep breath. "We're really gonna do this, aren't we?"

"Yeah." He said looking back to the bed.

She lowered her head. "A lot of people will be afraid of this. A lot of people won't understand it." She whispered as she placed a light hand on the baby's stomach.

"I know." Lee said as he stroked her tiny cheek. "I was one of those people."

"What changed, Lee?" Kara asked. "An hour ago, you were dead set against this. What happened?"

"I don't know." He answered truthfully. "I just, you just put her in my arms and I knew that she was my daughter. It was like she always had been, and I had just been waiting my whole life to finally meet her. My mind knows all the reasons that this shouldn't happen, but I can't bring myself to care. I believe that she's mine…………even though I have no practical reason for believing that. I know it sounds strange."

"It _doesn't_ sound strange." Kara added, gleaming at him. "But only because I know exactly what you're talking about."

"I want to raise her." Lee said looking right into Kara's eyes.

Kara nodded soberly and then looked through the still-open door to where President Roslin and Commander Adama sat, deep in conversation. "Your father is going to set up a private room. You know, for me and the baby." She looked back to him and exhaled loudly. "I just want you to know that you can…….. you can always…………." He could see the sadness in her eyes. "You can always come see her, is what I'm trying to say. You're her father and I will never try to keep her from you."

Lee's face became blanketed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Her face mimicked his. "I'm talking about visitation." She stated in an agonized voice as she lowered her head. "We should set up a schedule, some kind of routine that she can get used to, but you don't have to follow it. You can come see her at anytime."

"I don't want visitation." He said simply.

She raised her head to give him a look that was a perfect mixture of rejection and puzzlement. She gestured to the bed. "But you just said that you wanted to raise her."

"Yeah." He nodded as he took Kara's hand in his. "With _you_."

Her expression remained blank for about five seconds before it was overwhelmed with the shine of ecstatic awe. "With me?"

"What did you think I wanted, Kara? Sharon saw it pretty easily. Why can't you?" He looked back to the baby as he let Kara's hand drop away again. "In the cell, with Sharon, when she asked me if I knew what it was like to lose the love of my life, I didn't look away. I looked at you." He paused and let the baby wrap her hand around his finger. "And I said no because I hadn't lost you. You were standing right in front of me."

Kara nodded and glanced at him apprehensively. "You understand that—."

"Yeah, I do." He looked over at her subtly. "Do you?"

"Uh-huh." She confirmed. "I understand completely."

"We can't pick and choose, Kara. We're not doing this half way." He turned to her and his hand cupped the side of her neck. "It's all or nothing."

She smiled. "All or nothing." She repeated.

He then let his hand fall and turned again to his daughter. "I always knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, that you'd be the mother of my child." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his face split in a wide grin. "I just didn't know that it would happen in such a totally frakked up way."

After a few seconds, Kara smiled and tickled her child's little foot. "Oh, by the way, not that it matters, but do you know how to take care of a baby?"

"No." He said frankly. "No idea."

* * *

Baltar watched as the gurney that held Sharon's body was wheeled out on its way to the morgue, followed by Roslin and the Commander. He stayed behind and looked over to the room where Starbuck and Apollo were conversing over their child, and he was filled with confusion. 

"So it has begun." Six sighed in irritation as she looked at the same scene.

Baltar spun to face her with anger in his eyes. "I am so sick of your manipulation and lies that I could vomit." He rasped out in a low voice.

Six reached up to caress his head, but he pulled away. "Gaius, what's wrong?"

"Have you ever told me anything that was true?"

"Truth is relative, darling." She smiled as she tried to calm him.

"You told me the child would be _ours_." He sneered.

"She will be." Six said simply.

"Then why is it that Starbuck and Apollo have just signed legal documents to make the child theirs?" He whispered as he pointed to the next room.

"Documents from a dead legal system and a dead society?" Six laughed. "They don't make her their daughter." She turned to look at the new family. "It was a necessary evil."

Baltar blanched. "So you knew? You knew that this would happen?"

"Yes." Six turned back to him. "It is all according to plan. She is, after all, half-human. In order for her to grow to be the face of the shape of things to come, she must first understand and then overcome that side of her." She traced his mouth with her finger. "She has to crawl before she can walk. Humanity has strong, amazing, and miraculous aspects to it. But ultimately it is flawed." She shifted her eyes to Kara and Lee. "God has chosen two people that epitomize that truth to look after her through her formative years."

"So you knew this as well; that Captains Thrace and Adama would………….?"

"You didn't think my dislike for her was purely about her dalliance with you, did you?" Her face grew amused as she saw that he had indeed thought that. "Oh, Gaius. Your ego never ceases to amaze me."

"So…………….." He stared at Kara, Lee and the baby.

She studied them as well. "They are very interesting specimens, aren't they? Wholly unworthy of the task, but one does not question the will of God."

"You told me that I would be her father!" Baltar hissed in rejection.

"You will be, in the only way that truly matters." Six smiled. "Your relationship with our daughter was never meant to be about giving her baths and wiping her snotty nose. Ours will be advanced parenthood. When she is ready to become what she was created to become, she will abandon this mediocre realm and turn to you. And then you will bring her to me, and we will help her rise to her true purpose. That is what parents do."

"And what is her true purpose?" He asked, showing the beginnings of acceptance of the situation.

"She will cure." Six said in worship as she ran a hand over his heart. "Humanity is a cancer infecting the universe. It had wasted and deteriorated the body that had held it for millennia; and God saw fit to treat the illness." She looked around the room at the medical equipment. "But you know the tricky thing about cancer, Gaius? You have to eradicate it completely. You leave any malignant cells left in the body and there is always a chance it can return to spread again. Our daughter is the x-ray that will show us where those cells are hiding. And the Cylons will make the universe healthy again."

"By doing what?" He asked innocently.

She chuckled slightly at his obliviousness and then leaned up to whisper in his ear. "By eliminating the last outpost of the human race."

* * *

"The room is set up?" The President questioned as she sat in Commander Adama's quarters later that night. 

"Yes. They should have most of what they need. Or more truthfully, what we were able to get for them on such short notice." He looked up from the paper he was signing and peered at her over his glasses. "I've also assigned a detachment of marines to guard the room and to follow the baby wherever she is taken."

Roslin sat back in her chair and let out a loud breath. "For what purpose? She's a child. I already told you, she won't cause us any harm."

"I'm not worried about her harming people; I'm worried about people harming _her._ Sharon was…….. both Sharons were spit on as they were led down corridors, pictures of their face were used as targets in the shooting range. People were afraid, angry. I'm worried about those emotions spinning out of control when they find out that her daughter has been taken in as a part of my family."

"I understand." She replied "But that precaution will only be necessary for a while. They'll soon grow to understand that the child is nothing to fear, and they'll accept her. I know they will."

"How?" He asked apprehensively.

"I saw it." She answered simply, and then watched as he dropped his eyes to the desk. "You really don't believe that, do you?"

"I believe that you believe it." He said, trying to appease her. "But no, I don't think that we can just trust that she'll be safe because you claim that the gods have told you that something more is going on here."

She took off her glasses and folded them in her hands. "How else do you explain it? One moment you are roaring about how Captain Thrace has lost her mind by wanting to care for the child and the next you're singing to her."

"You heard that?" He smiled minutely. "I thought I was alone with her while Kara and Lee signed the papers."

"You have a decent voice, Commander." Roslin smiled back.

"But I'm a better dancer, right?"

Roslin shrugged. "Well, you're not exactly 'singing in the Starlight Lounge on Cloud Nine' caliber, but I think you can handle a few lullabies." She giggled slightly before growing serious again. "But really, how do you explain it? What's your answer?"

He took off his glasses too, and placed them on the desk. "My answer is that she's my granddaughter, and grandparents are suckers when it comes to their grandchildren. There is nothing other-worldly about that." He smiled wistfully. "Loving them is not really a choice."

"And that's what this is really about, isn't it?" Roslin whispered. "Hermes himself could come down and tell you that nothing will harm her and you would still worry, wouldn't you? Because you _do _love her."

"If any harm is going to befall the child, it will be from something equally as strong as the feelings that I have for her. And a few marine guards won't be able to do anything to stop something that big." He paused. "But let an old grandpa do what little he can."

Roslin placed her hand on his desk. "Nothing is going to happen to her, Bill. I won't allow it."

The Commander reached towards her hand, but did not touch it. "Laura, I hate to have to bring this up, but you won't be around for much longer. You can't be sure—."

She bridged the gap and laid her hand over his. "Then I'll use my last breath to _make_ sure."

"Well then," He chuckled lightly, grasping it firmly. "I believe it now. I may not have much faith in the gods. But I know first hand that Laura Roslin is a force to be reckoned with."

* * *

"This is scary." Hotdog said bluntly as he sat in the mess hall. 

"Yeah." Racetrack answered, sitting next to him.

"No, I mean this is _really _scary." He repeated.

"I know."

"You don't think that this is an exceptionally frightening thought?" He asked, looking right at her.

"Yeah, I do." She replied in irritation. "Which is why I've been agreeing with you for the last five minutes while you've been rattling on about it like an idiot."

"This is terrifying." Hotdog shook his head.

"Hotdog, for frak's sake!"

"I'm just saying—." He shrugged. "Starbuck's a _mother_."

"I know." Racetrack exhaled. "May the gods help us all."

* * *

"Just tell us." Kara said the next afternoon as she sat in Cottle's office. "If something is wrong with her, we want to know." 

Cottle looked down to the test results in front of him and sighed. "There's nothing _wrong_ with her per se. She has no structural abnormalities, no jaundice, and her bloodwork shows no neo-natal infections. Her brain function is good…………._more_ than good actually, her synapses are firing at an exceptional level, her response to stimuli is off the charts, and she is absorbing her environment faster than anything I've ever seen." He looked up. "Which is part of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"She's part Cylon." Lee said softly, as way of finishing for Cottle. "We knew that when we signed on for this."

"It's not just that, Captain." He corrected. "We've never come in contact with a Cylon that was _born _in the traditional sense before. Hell, we don't even know if there _has _been a Cylon that was born in the traditional sense before." Cottle paused. "The autopsy results on both Sharons show us that neither was technically older than three years of age. And given the fact that the first Lt. Valerii had been on this ship for over two years, and given what we now know about the Resurrection ship, I think it's safe to assume that Cylons do not _grow_, but are created fully formed. Seeing as how the baby is a Cylon, I have every reason to believe that she will _not_ develop at a normal human rate."

"But the baby's only half Cylon, the other half of her _is _human." Lee pointed out.

"That's why we'll split the difference." Cottle responded.

"_Split the difference_?" Kara asked nervously.

"Your daughter is growing at an incomparable rate. Sharon was only pregnant for half the time that a human would have been."

"So she'll grow twice as fast?" Kara asked and then watched as Cottle dropped his gaze from her. "Doctor?"

"We took tissue samples from her." Cottle answered, looking at both of them again. "The cells divided and multiplied at _ten _times the normal rate."

"_Ten_ times?" Kara repeated in shock.

"Wait a minute." Lee lifted his hand to halt Cottle's response. "You're telling me my daughter is going to grow ten times faster than other children?"

"It's an estimate. Like I said, we've never encountered this before." Cottle amended. "But she now weighs 10 pounds, and is 20 inches long. Given that when she was born, twenty seven hours ago, she weighed 7 pounds and was only 18 inches in length, the ten times faster estimate is not an unsubstantiated one."

"Why is this happening?" Kara whispered, not looking at him.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully. "There are many things about this that I can't explain."

"Will she be okay?" Lee questioned hesitantly, worry rising in his voice. "I mean, because of the whole rapid………_thing_? Will she be in pain?" Beside him, Kara covered her eyes in concern. "Will there be side effects?"

Cottle began cautiously. "You need to be prepared. I can't guarantee that there _will_ never be, but there aren't any now. She seems fine." He let a small smirk form on his face."She is a very bright, curious, and…………._humorous_ little girl."

"Humorous?" Lee echoed.

"Yes." Cottle said. "She's been cracking my nurses up all morning. Smiling, laughing."

Kara looked to her hands as they rested in her lap. "Do newborns usually laugh?" She asked softly.

"No." He answered as the smirk dropped. "But like I was telling you, she's _special_."

"_Special_." She repeated as she looked to the door of Cottle's office, on the other side of which her daughter was giggling as a nurse changed her. She then looked to Lee and gave a small, sad, but proud smile. "Yes, she _is_ that."

* * *

A day later, Gaius Baltar sat in a chair on the Rising Star in a state of shocked disbelief, watching the other Quorum delegates gather their things and leave the conference room. 

"Was _this_ according to God's plan?" He sneered at the sexy blonde next to him that only he saw.

"No." Six answered defeatedly. "But when you're dealing with such a grand design, it is not unheard of for there to be a few deviations." She paused as she continued firmly. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me, darling!" He seethed through clenched teeth.

"You are unbelievable, Gaius." She hissed back. "Can't you stop being such a status whore long enough to stop caring about your political career and look to the bigger picture? You not being Vice-President will not make one iota of difference in the influence you will have over our child."

"Of course it will." He answered back. "My political career would have ensured that I would have had final say over matters that concern her. Now I'll have to cow-tow and plead and manipulate just to have the slightest access to _our _daughter."

"You'll still have access to her." Six purred.

"You are so unbelievably deluded. You really think that as anything other than leader of the fleet, the Adama family will let me go _near_ her?"

"Trust me, Gaius." She smiled menacingly. "Towards the end of their time with her, they'll be begging you to."

* * *

Lee and Commander Adama sat outside the conference room, waiting to find out what had happened inside. 

"This is taking a long time." Lee croaked nervously.

"Not really." The Commander said simply.

"You don't think that this is taking a long time?" Lee asked, adjusting his collar in agitation. "I mean, how long have they been in there?"

Adama looked to his watch. "Twenty minutes."

"Oh." Lee sighed as he stopped his worried movements. "That really _isn't _a long time."

"No." Adama replied. "Not when you take into account what we're asking them to do."

The door to the conference room opened and Billy walked through, stopping right in front of the two men.

"Well?" Lee questioned.

Billy nodded. "10 to 2, in favor of removal."

Adama lowered his head. "Thank the gods." He sighed.

"Who were the two holdouts?" Lee asked inquisitively.

"The vote was secret." Billy responded. "But one can safely assume that one was Baltar. The other one we're not sure of."

"Zarek?" Adama inquired.

"No, that we're almost positive about." Billy said. "The President made a deal with Zarek to ensure that he'd be in favor of the motion."

Adama smiled as he saw Roslin walk up to them. "Making deals with Zarek?" He asked her directly. "This really _must _be important to you."

She smiled back. "Can't think of anything _more_ important, Commander."

"So who's gonna be the President when you……………" Lee began, only to rethink the initial direction his question had taken.

"Die?" Roslin finished for him. Just then, Baltar came up behind her.

"Madam President?" He said firmly as she turned to face him. "You really think that Mr. Keikeya will be more fitting a president than I would?"

Lee grinned widely. "Billy!" He said as he patted him on the back with one hand and shook his hand with the other. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Captain Apollo." Billy answered sheepishly.

Roslin spoke to Baltar. "Billy is well liked throughout the fleet. A staunch supporter of the President who stayed behind when the fleet was divided solely to ensure that re-unification might be possible? I can't think of anybody better to embody what we're trying to do here."

Baltar took on an arrogant tone as he added. "The fleet will not tolerate you removing me from office."

"Probably not." Roslin replied truthfully. "Which is why you're going to resign."

Baltar chuckled. "Why would I resign?"

"You could tell the press that you don't like the sallow tint that the lighting on Colonial One gives your skin, for all I care." She said bluntly. "But we feel the most believable reason would be that your work on Cylon study and detection is too time-consuming and important for you to be distracted by the mundane world of politics. We've worded a press release that calls you a '_true patriot willing to put the needs of the people above his own ambition'_. The part about your work is fundamentally true, and the general population will believe it. They'll think you're a hero." Her eyes narrowed as she gestured to the now empty conference room. "The general population doesn't know you like the people who were in that room do."

"Give me one good reason why I should make this easy for you."

Roslin removed her glasses. "I can give you two. Number one: We have the votes to remove you forcibly, and your ego that is the size of the Caprican Sea will not allow you to suffer the humiliation of that occurring. And number two: It's the _smart_ thing to do. And you're a genius." She smiled sarcastically. "It's just…………you're an _unstable_ genius. And I cannot allow you to have control over the lives of our people."

Baltar gestured to Billy. "And you really think the people will be better off being led by this teenager?" He said mockingly.

"Hey!" Billy almost shouted, in humorous response to the insult. "I'm 24, thank you very much."

Lee laughed soundly. The President grinned. "You know the old saying, Dr. Baltar: '_And a little child shall lead them.'_"

Baltar crossed his arms over his chest. "I've never heard that saying before." He replied in disgust.

"Really?" The President asked in bafflement, looking to the other men as they all shook their heads in a negative response. "I could have sworn I'd heard that somewhere before." She muttered as she started to walk away. "But for the life of me, I can't remember _where_."

Baltar watched her leave and then turned around to give the three men a disparaging look before exiting as well.

"One question:" The Commander said to Billy. "If Baltar is out, and you're in; who will be your Vice-President?"

At that moment, Tom Zarek pulled away from the conversation he had been having with another delegate and reached to shake Billy's hand. "Mr. Keikeya." He said in a knowing greeting.

"Mr. Zarek." Billy responded coldly as he took Zarek's outstretched hand.

"I'll look forward to working with you."

"I'm sure you will." Billy stated unfeelingly.

They stood there for a few more seconds before Zarek nodded to Lee. "Apollo." He said in greeting and then turned and smiled at the Commander. "_Zeus_." He then left.

Lee sighed as he departed. "_That's _the deal you made with Zarek?"

"I'm not too thrilled with that development." Adama added.

"None of us are." Billy told them. "But he had an almost equal amount of delegates to what the President had. And he could have made this difficult for us if we hadn't given him an incentive not to."

"Why would Zarek want you in office anymore than he would want Baltar?" Lee questioned.

"Probably because he thinks it will be easier to manipulate me than it would be to manipulate Baltar." Billy smiled slyly. "But I've learned a thing or two. And if he thinks that, he's mistaken." He nodded to the two men and then left.

"Dad, what's that they say about a wolf in sheep's clothing?" Lee grinned, staring after Billy.

The Commander chuckled slightly. "Now, _that_ saying I've heard of."

TBC

_The saying that President Roslin quoted is from Isaiah 11: 6. Just FYI._


	4. Chapter 4

Lee walked to the conference room the next morning. He saw his father waiting outside the door and came right up to him. "Reporting as ordered, sir." He smiled widely.

Adama didn't smile in return. "I'm glad." He replied with a cautious lack of emotion.

"Kara's not with me." Lee said carefully in response to his cold manner. "She spent last night in sickbay with the baby. I think she's in our new quarters now, getting some sleep. I didn't want to bother her."

"Kara's already inside."

"She is?" Lee asked in surprise.

Adama opened the hatch and gestured for Lee to enter. "Come in, Captain." Adama said as Lee came through the door. "Sit down, please."

Lee looked around the conference room to see that Kara and the President were already sitting at the table. He took a deep breath. "Why do I feel like I'm about to be ganged up on?"

"There's no reason you should feel that way, Captain Apollo." Roslin replied soothingly. "We're all on the same side here."

"Then you don't mind if I stay standing?"

"No." She smiled. "Not at all."

"I _do_." The Commander said firmly. "Sit down, Captain."

Lee moved to take a seat. "You know what this is about?" He whispered to Kara as he sat down next to her.

"A little bit, yeah." She answered softly.

Adama began cautiously. "There are a few precautions that we need to take, safeguards that we need to implement because of the unusualness of the situation."

"Like?" Lee inquired.

"There is to be an attachment of marine guards assigned to the child, and she is never to be alone. Someone needs to be with her or guarding the area that she is in at all times." The Commander paused for a moment to let it sink in. "And there are certain areas of the ship that she will not have access to."

"Well, she's a child. Of course there are certain places she won't be able to go to." Lee's eyes narrowed and he exhaled loudly. "But you're not doing this because she's a child, are you? You're doing this because she's a Cylon." He murmured in accusation.

"Stop it, Lee." Kara whispered sadly, not looking at him. "This is hard enough for him without you making it worse."

"Maybe it should be hard for him." Lee told her before looking back to his father. "She's a child. She's not going to do anything bad. She's not even gonna know or understand how to. And for you to perpetuate this _fear_……………? You're supposed to set an example. You're supposed to be the leader of this ship."

"I AM the leader of this ship!" Adama rasped back.

"You're also her grandfather. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"She won't be a child for very long, Lee." Kara pointed out. "Not the way things are going."

Lee covered his eyes in recognition of her point. "Fine." He replied coldly. "There will be certain restrictions regarding her and the ship, I get it." He paused, glaring at his father. "What else?"

"We want her to undergo weekly tests." Adama answered.

Lee smirked sardonically. "Not a chance in hell."

"Just a couple of tests, Captain." Roslin told him. "Non-invasive tests; a couple of scans to study her neurological functions and see if there's anything alarming."

"Even Cottle thinks it's a good idea." Kara added. "Because of her fast development. We can accurately track her growth; predict any side effects that she might experience because of it."

Lee shook his head vigorously. "I won't have you treating her like a lab rat. How is this any different from what Baltar wanted to do with her?"

"Because we're not doing this as a science experiment." Adama responded. "We're doing it to keep the people we care about _safe_, her included."

Lee turned to the President. "How can you condone this?"

"Condone it?" Roslin repeated his words, looking around the room in puzzlement before she turned back to him. "It was my idea."

"Yours?" Lee breathed out in disbelief. "How can it be yours? You said—. I thought you believed that she wasn't going to hurt us."

"I still do. I believe that very strongly." She glanced at Commander Adama sadly. "But I'm sure none of you believed that the first Lt. Valerii was going to hurt anyone either."

"Madam President, you cannot do this."

"Look at what I've already done." She stood from her chair. "I've removed an elected official from office and made deals with a terrorist because I believe so strongly that this child, that this fleet…………. deserves a chance to do what the gods have promised me." She placed both palms on the table and leaned forward, looking right at him. "I've taken enough on faith, Captain Apollo. The fact that your daughter is still alive shows how much faith I have. I'd very much like to believe that I am serving the will of the gods and can do so without question—." She began coughing harshly and sat back down. Adama handed her the glass of water on the table and she drank it gratefully. Kara sat up straighter in her chair until the President's fit slowed and then finally ceased. "But at the end of the day, I'm not a priest." She continued strongly. "I'm a _public _servant; I have to answer to them. And while faith is still the strongest force in me, I have to have a measure of practicality as well."

"We don't keep Cylons around, Lee. She's already allowed two exceptions to that rule." Kara pleaded with him. "Don't force her to make any more concessions."

"We're not afraid of her." Adama amended. "We're afraid of what _they_ might cause her to do."

Lee stood from his chair and walked to the door, turning back just before he left the room. "It's still fear, Dad."

* * *

Kara knew where to find Lee, but Adama insisted that he go instead of her. "_This is a father thing, after all."_

He found Lee sitting in the front row of chairs in the briefing room, looking at the whiteboard that still had _Defeating the Cylon Missle_ written across it in Kara's handwriting.

Adama sat down next to him, and noticed that his son made no move to recognize that he was there. "Son?"

"I gave my word; that I would be her father." Lee said bluntly, without preamble. "And I don't mean the hollow words that I gave Sharon. I mean the word I gave to _her_, and Kara, and you, and the President……….and myself. And if I don't trust myself to keep my word, then why do I deserve to be?"

"This isn't about you breaking your word, Lee. It's about you keeping it."

"In your life, have you _ever_ loved _anything_ unconditionally?" It was voiced harshly enough that the Commander knew that Lee meant it to be more accusatory then questioning. "Without reservation, even though it's not everything that you think it should be?"

"No." Adama answered truthfully. "Not until recently. And neither have you." He put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You're ten times the father I ever was, and you've only been at it for three days." He tightened his grip a fraction. "You'll also be ten times the Commander, which is how you know I'm right." His breath caught in his lungs for a moment. "It's possible to keep this ship safe and love your child at the same time. Trust me."

"This feels so easy, Dad." Lee sighed sadly. "So why is it going to be so hard to actually do?"

"Because that's fatherhood, Lee." Adama gave as his response. "Nothing is easy. Nothing that is worth doing, anyway."

Lee nodded to himself. "Is there something that I have to sign, something giving my permission?"

"No. You and Kara seem to forget that you are officers on my ship. And even though she's your child, she's living here on it. As such, you don't have to agree to anything I want." Adama paused. "But I want you to. I want you to know that we are not coming from a bad place. She's my family, and I want you to know that I would rather die than let anything bad happen to my family."

"I do, Dad." Lee replied as he looked right at him. "I know that."

* * *

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Kara hissed at Lee in a furious whisper as he walked through the door. 

Lee hadn't expected to be accosted when he entered his new quarters that afternoon. But when he saw Kara standing there, the baby teetering in her arms and a frenzied look on her face, he forgave the angry abruptness in her greeting.

He closed the hatch behind him and held up his hands in a gesture of mock-surrender. "Sorry I'm late, _dear._" He paused and dropped the sarcasm from his voice as he saw her give him a dirty look. "I was on Colonial One helping the President and Billy with the fallout from Baltar's resignation, and then I went to sickbay because I thought that was where you guys would be." He walked over to the two of them and stroked the baby's cheek as she slept, tucked away in the crook of Kara's arm. "Hello, sweetheart."

"We weren't in sickbay anymore, they released her." She said into his ear as he looked down at his daughter. "We haven't been in sickbay for an hour and a half."

"I realize that now." He smiled up at her and noticed that her face had not changed from the same dirty look. "What are you so upset about?"

"Oh, I don't know." She moved over to the crib and then with delicateness that he'd only seen her give brand-new retro-fitted Vipers, she laid the sleeping child in her new bed. "Maybe I was just hoping that when I brought our child home for the first time, _both _of her parents would be there."

"I was doing something important." He told her in frustration.

"And this isn't important?" She asked in insulted disbelief.

"What are you _talking about_?" He said in a loud voice and then quieted down when she shushed him and looked down to check the infant in the crib. "I didn't say that it wasn't important. If you wanted us both to be here when you brought her home, then why didn't you just wait until I was there to leave sickbay?"

She walked to the other side of the room as she began to pace. "Because she'd already been in sickbay for three and a half days and I didn't want to keep her there any longer than she needed to be just because her father wasn't where he promised me he _would _be!" She told him angrily.

Lee groaned in exasperation. "Kara, I realize that you're a new mother, but you can't use post-partum raging hormones as an excuse for acting this way. You knew where I was, you knew what I was doing, and you knew why it was important." He then added in a soothing voice. "You just need to be calm."

"But I'm NOT calm, Lee. I'm _freaking out_!" She cradled her forehead in the palm of her hand. "I was alone with her. I'd never been alone with her before. And I was afraid, and she kept looking at me like I would know what to do. But I DON'T."

"Kara." He walked up to her and placed his hand on her forearm. "If you were afraid, why didn't you just ask one of the guards to come in?"

Her head snapped up and her eyes got wide. "Are you actually suggesting that I send in the _marines_ so that I won't have to be alone with my child?"

Lee closed his eyes and sighed as he squeezed her arm in reassurance. "I'm just as new at this as you are. I don't know what to say any more than you do."

She lowered her head in regret. "I'm sorry." She looked in the direction of the baby. "I just……….do you think everybody feels this way?"

"Yeah." He moved her back over to the crib and looked down. "But I think in our instance we're allowed to feel it ten-fold." He smiled. "She's very cute, lying there, sleeping."

"Yeah." She smiled too and then her entire body froze. "I wonder what happens when she wakes up."

* * *

The next day, Kara heard a gentle knock on the door and had to fight back a laugh as she walked to get it. "Lee, you live here." She said under her breath. "You don't have to knock." 

But when she opened the door, she was met with the apprehensive face of Chief Tyrol.

"I can come back." He said in way of greeting and then moved to walk away.

"Wait." She grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "I hadn't said anything. I hadn't even said 'hello' yet."

He pointed back down the hall. "If it's a bad time………"

"It's not. It's fine. Come in." She moved back so that he could enter, but he stayed frozen in place in the hallway.

"Everything okay, Captain Thrace?" The guard in the hall asked as he saw that they had not yet closed the door.

"Yeah, Corporal, everything's fine." She waved at him before turning back to Tyrol. "We either have to get in or get out." She smiled. "Did you want to see her?"

Tyrol's eyes shone with a previously hidden agony. "I did. I mean I do. I want to see her." He looked past Kara into the room. "But now that I'm here, I'm not so sure I actually _should _be here."

Kara lowered her head and then looked back up at him, straight into his eyes. "I'm sure she wants to meet you." Tyrol nodded and then moved inside. She closed the door and pointed to the crib. "So, she's right over there."

"Yeah." He whispered.

Kara looked at him, her heart breaking a little. She then saw the box that he had been holding the whole time. "What's that?"

He looked away from the crib long enough to look down at the box. "I made you something." He said absently.

"Yeah?" She took the box from him and laid it down on the couch. When she opened it she saw a mass of connected aeronautical parts. "You made this?"

He nodded in the affirmative. "Cally helped a little."

"I hope you won't find this offensive, but…………what is it?"

Tyrol laughed slightly. "It's a mobile. You know, something that you hang over a crib to keep the baby entertained."

"And it's made of spare parts?" She inquired as she lifted it out of the box.

"Yeah, I figured that it was fitting, because of who her parents are." He walked over and pointed to the tiny hanging objects. "These things off to the side, they move around in a circle when you spin 'em. They're made out of Viper parts." He then pointed to the center of the mobile, to the largest part. "Then that thing in the middle……….that's from a Raptor." He stopped and looked at Kara. "You know, because………you know why."

Kara smiled and put it back in the box. "I think it's the most beautiful piece of melded together scrap metal I've ever seen." She heard a noise from the crib and went to check. "We weren't expecting visitors. Nobody has come to see her yet, besides the Commander and the President. Nobody's come here, or to sickbay when she was there." She took a deep breath to try and suppress some of the hurt that she felt because of that. She then looked down at her now-awakened child. "I guess they're a little afraid of her."

Tyrol walked over to the crib too. "They're not afraid. Even though I know of no reason that they _shouldn't _be." He stopped as he heard Kara snort in amusement. "I guess they're just waiting for someone to give them the 'all clear', so to speak."

"And you're that someone?"

He sighed. "I _was_ sort of in the middle of this whole mess." He paused in fear as Kara looked back up at him. "Not that it was a mess, I wasn't trying to say that she is the result of a mess, I just meant—."

"Chief." She stopped him from continuing. "It's okay. I thought it was a mess too. I'm sure Helo and Boomer………….Helo and the _other_ Sharon thought it was a bit of a mess as well." She looked down again at the baby as she smiled up at her and tried to grab her toes. "But I like messes. The people I used to share a bunkroom with can attest to that."

Tyrol finally mustered the nerve to look in the crib, his eyes got wide and he cracked a smile. "She's a big girl."

"Don't let her hear you say that, she'll get a complex." Kara laughed. "She grows. A lot. I think that's why I haven't left the room yet, because she's different every time I look at her."

"She looks like Sharon." He said simply.

Kara looked her up and down and put the blanket back on her that she had pushed to the side. She did have the same coloring as Boomer, albeit a slightly lighter skin tone. And she had the same dark hair and the same big eyes. But hers were blue. "You think so?"

"Is that hard for you?" He asked cautiously. "I know your feelings on Sharon were never really clear."

"Actually, my feelings on what I thought Sharon w_as_ were never really clear." She corrected. "And I mean _both _Sharons. I thought the first Sharon was one of _us_, turns out she wasn't really. And I thought the second Sharon was one of _them_, turns out she wasn't really. It's confusing." She nodded simply and smiled with pride. "But the baby looking like Sharon really doesn't bother me that much, because I really don't think she _does_. She looks like herself."

"She looks like Helo too." His eyes and his fists both clenched shut at the same time, and his head dropped to his chest.

"You don't have to talk about it, Chief." She told him softly, knowing what he was thinking about. "You haven't told anyone anything, except at the debriefing. And you don't have to now."

"But I want to." He looked up at her pleadingly. "I want to tell someone, so that it's not just me." He closed his eyes again. "Can I tell you?"

"Of course."

"I know what you were going to do. What you and Apollo and the Old Man were going to do, what you were _willing_ to do to Cain. You were gonna put your lives on the line, risk getting the firing squad right along with us."

"I wish we'd done it." She said bluntly.

"Why? So that you'd be dead too?" He took a deep breath. "That's crazy. They would have killed us anyway. They killed Helo anyway, and it was _the Cylon_ that shot Cain. Imagine what would have happened if it had been the two officers that Adama considered family."

"Sometimes I think, 'What if someone had gotten there sooner?'"

"I play the 'what if?' game all the time." Tyrol told her. "I'm starting to think it wouldn't have mattered." His finger gingerly traced the edge of the crib. "They say it was because of the chaos, that those two guys were able to get into our cell. Three of them are in that same cell now; those two guys and the marine that let them in. But it wasn't just those three. That whole ship killed Helo."

"I know." She said under her breath.

"Those two guys had beaten us before. Did you know that?"

"Yeah, I knew that. Not at the time, but I found out later."

"I thought that was what they were going to do that time. But they came in, and the looks on their faces, it was like…………….I wish I could say it was pure evil, but it wasn't. It was like they had once _been_ human, but they'd just been—."

"Pushed too far?" She asked in understanding.

He nodded. "And they said that they owed it to Cain to carry out one of her last orders. They made us kneel on the floor. And I was so scared. I mean, I've been scared before, but I've never………… Then they said it was poetic, that we'd die on a day when so many Cylons did; since we loved Cylons so much." His voice had been trembling for several sentences now, and so had his hands. His eyes had a vacant, haunted look to them.

"Chief?"

"Helo mouthed off to them." He smiled slightly. "I didn't quite grasp what he said, because I was so scared. But I'm sure it was offensive."

"He'd taken after me too much." She shut her eyes in regret.

"They shot him in the head, and I heard him fall to the ground." His hand now gripped the edge of the crib as the painful memory coursed through him. "Then I felt the barrel against the back of my head and I closed my eyes……….then I heard the door open and—."

"Saw a whole squad of marines standing there with their guns drawn."

"And I wish I could say that I was relieved, but all I really wanted was for someone to finish the job. Because all I could see was Helo laying there, face down on the floor."

"And they wouldn't even let him into their sickbay." She rasped out in anger.

"They were too busy grieving over Cain. And he was nothing; he was below nothing to them." The Chief added. "And he was already dead."

"But they brought him back to Cottle anyway."

"Not because Cottle was a miracle worker, but because Galactica was where Helo belonged. It was fitting that Adama was the one to sign the death certificate." Tyrol finished their back and forth storytelling.

"I didn't know." Kara told him regretfully. "With everything that was happening with Cain; trying to figure out where the Cylon had gone. Then I heard some little piss-ant say that they'd 'only managed to take care of _one_ of the toaster-lovers'." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I almost killed everybody on that ship with my bare hands when I realized what they were talking about." She heard the baby make unintelligible gurgles and looked down to see her kicking her legs excitedly. Kara picked her up. "I got in a Raptor and came home, and I'm never going back. And if anybody I care about ever goes to that ship, it'll be with a whole squad of marines watching their back." The baby laughed as Kara made a funny face at her.

"It should have been me." Tyrol said simply, without hesitation. "I feel guilty that it wasn't. I wasn't the one who was in love—at least not anymore. I wasn't the one who was gonna have a child. I should've been the one to mouth off to them. They should have killed me first; so that Helo would be here. And I feel guilty that he isn't."

"Yeah, I know about feeling that way."

"You do?"

"Sure." She snorted. "Helo was one of my best friends. I trusted him, loved him, and we'd been through a lot together. But if they'd killed you; and Helo was here instead? I wouldn't have her." She paused as the baby cooed and grabbed the index finger that Tyrol extended for her to take. "I've known her for a little over four days, she's not even mine, she's not even fully human, and yet—."

"You're glad she's here instead of Helo." Tyrol finished for her.

"No." She corrected. "Not 'instead of'………but I can't seem to find it unredeemable that things turned out this way." She smiled a shameful, self-deprecating smile. "Talk about guilt."

"But here we are, Starbuck: trying to do right by him." He replied as he stroked his thumb over the little hand.

"We're not the guilty ones." She affirmed to them both. "We didn't do anything wrong." Kara looked at the baby, who had laid her head against her chest and was now sucking her thumb. "Do you ever wish Adama and Fisk had executed them, the guys that did it?"

"No, I like it this way." He answered honestly. "Helo and I did the right thing, protecting Sharon. And we were going to get the firing squad because of it. These guys committed murder; cold-blooded, without orders. And they get to live. Because we're _better_ than them." He stroked the baby's head. "No one on that ship would be doing what you're doing."

"You know they'll use that as an example of why _they're_ better than _us._"

"I don't really care." He began to walk to the door. "The problem with those guys is that they just don't get it." He said as he turned back around.

She stayed where she was, holding the baby in her arms. "I'm not sure I really get it either, Chief."

"Yeah, but that's another reason why we're better." He smiled as he opened the door. "Just because we don't get it, we don't necessarily assume that it's not the right thing to do."

* * *

Baltar walked down a hall in the Cloud Nine hotel. He had been given a lovely send-off from Colonial politics, complete with President Roslin giving a dishonestly grateful speech and banners that read _Thank You, Vice-President Baltar. _Only he wasn't the Vice President anymore. Billy (or William, as he was now called) Keikeya had been sworn in that afternoon. Baltar had already heard speeches and commentaries all over talk wireless, praising him a whole two seconds for his selfless act before moving on to gush over the wonders of the new boy prince. Baltar couldn't believe that this wasn't some sort of dream. But he knew that what he was about to do was very real. The only truly real thing left in his life. 

He stopped in front of the door and raised his hand to knock on it.

"Here to see your mistress, darling?" Six purred from behind him.

Without turning around to look at her he answered. "Don't know that it's really considered being unfaithful. Since I am, after all, cheating on you with _you._"

"It's not the physical aspect that bothers me, Gaius." She hissed. "The only thing that matters to me is who is in your heart."

"Then you win, because you are always with me." He sighed in irritation and then knocked on the door. "Literally."

Gina opened the door and smiled. "Doctor Baltar, what a pleasant surprise." She opened the door fully and he walked into her room, leaving Six in the hall. "It's been nearly a week since you've come to see me."

"It's been a very busy week." He said dejectedly as he turned to face her.

"Yes, I know." She responded soothingly as she ambled up to him. "But don't worry; you're still a very powerful man, people like you. You'll still be able to carry out your destiny." She then moved to stand in front of the window, and looked out onto the fake horizon. "But it would have been nice, if you had become President. Maybe then you could have stopped it." She looked over her shoulder at him, "I know that it's all part of God's plan, so that she understands the extent of their depravity by seeing it first hand. But I have to tell you, when you actually _do_ see it firsthand…………….you realize that you would have much rather taken someone else's word for it."

Baltar gasped for air, in shock for a moment. "You know about the child? That she has been born? What her purpose is?"

"Model number Thirteen? Yes, I know."

"Is that what the Cylons are calling her?"

"That is her true designation." Gina replied simply.

"How do you know about the child?" Baltar asked in curious fear. "We've never talked about her. Did the model that gave birth to her get downloaded?"

"You destroyed the resurrection ship, it is now impossible for us to access her information. But we don't need anything to be downloaded to tell us of God's plan. We all know of the child; prayed for her existence." Gina sat down on the bed and reached down to take off her shoes. "Besides, that copy of model number Nine had lost faith, she turned away from us. She wouldn't have been resurrected anyway. In order to be reborn, you either have to be innocent or a true believer."

"You had feared that you would be reborn." Baltar pointed out. "Hadn't you lost faith?"

"I hadn't lost faith in God, just in his grasp of the extent of the evil that we were dealing with." She corrected. "And I hadn't stopped believing. I just didn't care anymore."

"Do you care now?"

"I care about seeing them suffer." Gina raged quietly. "You shouldn't allow the face of the shape of things to come to grow up around them."

"But that is what she is supposed to do, to understand them." Baltar began hesitantly. "And they are supposed to—."

"I know what they are _supposed_ to do." She cut him off. "They're supposed to raise her, love her, and accept her………..so that she can see why mankind was once revered. And then they're supposed to fear her, despise her, and reject her…………so that she can see why destroying them was just. They are supposed to drive her to us." Gina stood up, then walked over to the bar and poured herself a drink. "Sharon was supposed to remain one of us. But she betrayed us, because she became too human." She then picked up the glass and squeezed it until it shattered in her hand. "And God told me that I was going to die, be reborn. The humans were supposed to kill me. But they didn't." She seethed.

Baltar watched as drops off blood started to trickle from Gina's still-clenched fist. He went to get a towel and then took her hand in his to look at her palm. "What are you trying to say?" He asked as he removed shards of glass from her grasp.

She stopped his movements and looked him right in the eye. "I'm trying to say that humans have a funny way of not doing what they're supposed to do."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

"There's nothing wrong with her, Captain." Cottle told Kara as they stood in sickbay a week later, looking down at the baby as she laid on the examination table.

"Obviously there _is_ something wrong with her." Kara sighed heavily as she rubbed her daughter's leg in an attempt to soothe her. "I can't get her to stop crying."

"Babies cry." Cottle told her simply as he puffed on his cigarette.

"Could you put that frakking thing out?" She hissed at him and then watched as he complied with the order/request and ground the butt out in a nearby bedpan. "And don't try and give me that condescending doctor-to-new-mother crap again! Babies do _not_ just cry. They cry when something is wrong. _She _is crying because something is _wrong_." She then added. "She wasn't doing this before, it started about a week ago."

"Yes, I _know_ when it started. The reason I know is because you've been bringing her here to sickbay ever since, _eight _times in the last six days. And we've run every test on her that there is." He said in irritation. "As I've told you the other _seven _times, there's nothing wrong with her. Aside from the fact that she's half Cylon and ten days old but looks to be about four _months_ old, she's a perfectly healthy little girl."

Kara looked at the baby. Her face was red and wet, and she was sobbing loudly. A nurse came over to the table and began trying to put a digital thermometer in her ear. The baby however, kept moving her head or pushing it away so that the nurse couldn't get an accurate reading.

Kara kept one eye on her as she turned back to Cottle. "So why is she crying?"

The nurse just chuckled in unsolicited response. "Babies cry."

"Was I asking you?" Kara snapped at her. "Okay, I'm just giving fair warning………the next time I hear someone say _that_, I'm not gonna be held responsible for my actions."

The nurse looked at Cottle in indignation and again began trying to take the baby's temperature, as she in turn pushed it away again and began to wail.

Kara slammed her hand down on the table and glared at the nurse. "She doesn't want you to do that! So help me gods, you try to put that thing in my child's ear one more time and I'll find another place for you to stick it."

The nurse huffed and then walked over to the other side of sickbay. Instantly the child began to quiet down.

"Where the hell is Nurse Coaker? I like her." Kara rasped. "This other one is pissing me off."

"Seems like a lot of things are pissing you off lately." Cottle muttered. "Nurse Coaker is not on duty at the moment. We do occasionally give our medics time to sleep." He looked up to her face and gave her the once-over. "Speaking of which, when was the last time you did?"

"I'll sleep when she stops crying."

"She can't cry twenty four hours a day, she must stop sometime." Cottle pointed out. "But even when she _is_ crying, why don't you get someone else to watch her while you go somewhere to rest?"

"I don't need to go somewhere or get someone else to watch her. Lee watches her while I try to sleep." Kara rubbed her temple in frustration. "But I'm not losing sleep because the sound of her crying keeps me awake. I can't sleep because I don't know what to do; I don't know how to help her. She won't tell me what's wrong!" The baby let out a loud blubber and Kara groaned as she stroked her tiny hand. "Honey, come on. You're driving Mommy crazy here."

"Maybe she doesn't know what's wrong." Cottle suggested. "Or maybe nothing _is _wrong. She's not sick, it's nothing medical."

"Then why—?"

"She's a very perceptive girl." Cottle surmised. "Maybe she's feeling the effects of the stress in her new environment."

"What stress? There's no stress!" Kara shouted and then looked down to the table as the baby began to bawl incessantly. "No, sweetheart, don't cry." She picked her up and rubbed the crown of her head. "Mommy wasn't yelling at you, I was yelling at the dumb-ass doctor."

"Yeah." Cottle rasped under his breath as he started to walk away. "That sure is one _lucky_ kid."

Kara shot him a dirty look at the sarcastic quip. She then kissed the pouting, whimpering child's forehead and began to bounce her in her arms.

* * *

"Hi." Lee said guardedlywhen he stepped through the hatch of their quarters, smiling awkwardly as he closed the door and leaned against it. "How was your afternoon?" 

"How _was _my afternoon? Isn't it still happening?" Kara questioned in surprise as she reclined exhaustedly on the couch, the baby in her lap, her back resting against Kara's chest. "Wait, what time is it?"

"20:35."

"Frak, it couldn't be." She sighed as she rose from the couch and put the baby in her crib. "It's amazing how much time tragic frustration can take up." She said as she buried her face in her hands.

"Um, some _people_ wanted to come." He croaked out in fear. "So, I……….._let them_."

"Okay." She said softly, looking over at the door in worry.

He opened it again and Kara looked out into the hall to see Cally, Dee, Seelix and Racetrack standing there.

"Hi, Starbuck." Dee waved. "We didn't want to overwhelm you, but when Captain Adama asked us to come and help, he made it sound kinda urgent."

"What do you mean 'when _he asked you to come and help'_?" Kara asked, looking at Lee accusingly.

"We also just wanted to finally see the baby." Cally added hesitantly. "Hope you don't mind."

"No." Lee responded as he gestured for them to enter. "We don't mind at all."

"I wouldn't be so sure, _Captain._" Kara hissed at him, pointing to the other side of the room. He reluctantly walked there and she joined him, tugging on his jacket sleeve. "What the hell did you do, ask every woman on the ship who _isn't _me to come help?"

"We're teetering on the edge here, Kara." He whispered harshly in reply. "Neither one of us is finding this very easy. And _you _won't ask anyone for help."

"I ask." She retorted. "I ask Cottle for help, he just won't give me any that I can use."

"Yeah." He shot back. "And now he's banned you from sickbay."

"He did _what_?" She asked angrily.

"You've been there _nine_ times since they released her." He pointed out. "And apparently, you're making the nurses cry."

She scoffed. "That's an exaggeration. I made _one_ nurse cry." She raised her index finger to act as visual aid of the correction. "And it's my contention that she was emotionally unstable beforehand, so you really can't blame that on me."

"Mm-hmm." He winked at her. "Yeah, well, we can't keep going like we've been going. Seelix and Dee had little brothers and sisters, Racetrack had _nine_ kids in her family, and Cally was gonna study pediatric dentistry after her tour was over. They know things that we don't because we've never been around little kids."

"We just want to help, Starbuck." Cally piped up.

"Well, that's nice of you." Kara responded without looking at her. "But we're fine."

"We're _not_ fine." Lee countered to the four other women. "She cries, and we have no idea why."

"Well," Seelix interjected. "Babies cry."

Kara turned around and narrowed her eyes at her. "You have no idea the world of hurt that you have in store for yourself if you say that again."

As Seelix gulped loudly, Dee came over and looked at the baby as she laid in her crib. She wasn't wailing like she had been earlier in the evening, but she was still fussing slightly as she reached up to try and grab the Viper parts floating above her head. "She cries in the afternoon, right?"

"And into the evening." Kara finished in surprise.

"And the rest of the day she's fine?"

"I don't know about 'fine'. I mean, she still cries a lot." Lee cut in. "But she doesn't cry non-stop like she does in the afternoon."

"Does it help when you rock her, bounce her?" Seelix asked.

"Yeahhhhhhh." Kara whispered cautiously.

"She's got colic." Dee stated simply.

"Colic." Kara repeated. "Wait……..that's a _real _thing?"

Dee chuckled slightly. "Yeah. What did you think it was?"

Kara shrugged. "A rumor, an old wives tale, something that people told crazed parents when they couldn't give them a real reason why their kids were crying."

"No." Dee replied. "It's a real thing."

"Did Cottle mention colic to you?" Lee inquired to Kara.

"He mentioned it, but he said it in passing, like it wasn't a big deal."

"Cottle's a doctor; he doesn't see it as a big deal, because it's harmless." Dee corrected. "When he told you that there was nothing wrong with her, he was speaking in medical terms. And medically speaking, he's right. She's uncomfortable, but she'll be growing out of it pretty soon. Then she'll be fine. No damage done."

"And there's also really nothing that you can do to stop it." Seelix added. "Just be extra nice to her, play with her, babies with colic like it when you make a fuss over them."

"So that's it, just colic?" Lee asked.

"Maybe." Cally said as she looked down into the crib. "But you said that she cries at other times too, when she's not hungry or needing to be changed?"

"Yeah."

Cally smiled down. "Hey, baby. How are you? You wanna suck on my finger?" She then put her pinky in the baby's mouth.

"Cally!" Kara shouted, walking towards her. "Don't put your finger in her mou—." Before she could finish her sentence, the child was sucking away insistently.

"Don't worry." Cally laughed as the baby was kicking her legs excitedly. "I washed my hands before I came here." She moved her finger a bit and a thoughtful look came on her face. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Cally took her pinky away. "She's teething."

Kara waved her hand in dismissal of the assessment. "She couldn't possibly be. She's only—." She looked over at Lee.

"Eleven days old." He answered.

"Yeah, and even if we went by the whole 'ten times faster' thing, that means she's only a little under four months."

"Some babies can start to teethe at three months." Cally told them. "It's unusual, but with everything else, it's not surprising that she's getting teeth a little faster than most babies."

Kara looked at Lee totally dumbfounded.

"Don't look at me." Lee said in response to the look. "I didn't know that either."

"Okay." Kara said. "Do we have to just put up with that too?"

"Yeah, actually. But there are a few things that you can do. Ambrosia helps."

Kara snorted. "I'm not giving an eleven day old baby liquor."

"I didn't say _give_ it to her." Cally laughed. "Just rub some on her gums. It'll be rough for a while, until she gets all of her baby teeth in……………but from what I felt in her mouth that might not be too far in the future."

Seeing an opportunity to get some answers, Kara went on. "She has a— I don't know that you'd call it a rash, but it's something, on her stomach." She walked over to the crib and pointed at it.

Racetrack, who had stayed quiet and against the wall the whole time, spoke up. "It's probably the fabric of the shirt. My brother used to get skin irritations because the clothes that we would put him in were too coarse for his skin." She hesitantly walked over and looked down. She then reached for the shirt, but stopped and sucked in a gasp when the child instead grabbed her finger and giggled up at her. "She's beautiful, Starbuck." She whispered poignantly.

"I know." Kara smiled.

Racetrack then traced the cloth and gestured for Kara to feel it too. "It feels soft enough to us, but a baby's skin is different, more sensitive." Racetrack then gave Kara and Lee a heartrending look. "You don't—, you don't want anything to be too………_rough_ on her." She choked out.

"Thank you." Lee whispered in gratitude.

"So we're not doing anything wrong?" Kara asked softly, needing reassurance.

"Of course not. This is just normal baby learn-as-you-go stuff." Dee answered. "Why, what did you guys think was happening?"

"I guess maybe we thought she was depressed because she looked at the two of us and realized exactly what a mess she'd been thrown into." Kara laughed in self-deprecation as she rubbed her temples.

"Just give yourself some time." Seelix told them. "I'm sure everything will work out for you and………………" She moved her hand in a circular, questioning motion.

"………._the baby_." Lee responded, confused as to what she was asking.

Dee sighed. "Listen, we didn't want to be the ones to jump on you about this, since you have so much on your plate already. But it's been ten days, even the Commander is asking about it."

"Asking about what?" Kara inquired, equally confused. "Ten days since what?"

Cally laughed incredulously. "You guys do know that you haven't _named_ her yet, right?"

Kara sighed and covered her eyes in shame. "Oh my gods."

Lee sank down heavily into the nearest chair as the realization hit him. "Oh my gods."

Kara turned to Lee and then groaned loudly as she looked up to the ceiling. "This kid is gonna be so screwed up!"

* * *

Kara was on the flight deck the next afternoon when she saw the President's shuttle docking. She smiled when the hatch opened and the ramp was lowered, but it quickly dropped as she saw a man she'd only seen in passing before exit first and then turn around to pull out a wheelchair. The President was sitting in it. 

Kara walked over to the shuttle. "Hello, Madam President." She called.

"Captain Thrace, hello." Roslin answered back as the wheels of the chair finally hit the deck. "Do you know Donald?" She pointed to the man.

"We've seen each other, but I don't think we've ever been formally introduced." Kara reached over and shook his hand.

"I can't have Billy doing things for me anymore." Roslin smiled. "That is below a Vice-President."

Kara smiled back. "I have a feeling Billy would darn your socks if you ever asked him to. Even now."

"Loyalty is a wonderful thing; I hope I've earned it."

"Loyalty is earned when someone trusts a person. I'd say you've earned trust in spades."

Roslin looked at Donald. "Would you give us a moment, please?" Donald nodded and moved about fifty feet away, Roslin looked back to Kara. "It's good to see you out and about, Captain."

"You too, ma'am." Kara replied, careful to not look at her new mode of transportation.

"Out……..but not totally _about_." Roslin laughed. "But don't worry, it's just temporary." She took in a stuttering breath as she patted the wheels of the chair. "I have good days and bad days. Today just……….wasn't a good day. Tomorrow will be better."

"I have no doubt." Kara smiled slightly.

"I've been coming to sickbay almost every day to see Cottle, he tells me that you've definitely been _there_." Roslin teased. "But I haven't seen you anywhere else. You used to be a near-permanent fixture on this flight deck."

Kara looked at the Vipers that stood nearby. "Yeah, I've been—. Things have been a little crazy lately. And also…………"

"What?" Roslin asked softly.

"I'm not very good at balancing things, you know?" She sighed. "I get focused on one thing, and everything else just kinda falls to the wayside."

"Well, it's an important thing, what you're focused on." Roslin told her. "But hopefully someday soon you'll realize that you can have some sort of balance between professional and personal."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm not speaking from experience." Roslin laughed. "I managed to be Secretary of Education of the Twelve Colonies, but if you knew anything about my personal life……….Well, let's just say you wouldn't give my wisdom any credence."

Kara looked at the Viper in front of her with a look of intense longing. "I do miss it."

"Well, you're very good at it." Roslin chuckled. "You think you're ready to go back?"

"No, not yet. But it's a step in the right direction that I came on deck today." Kara smiled. "Lee finally got Laura to go to sleep so I just thought that I'd—."

"What did you say?" Roslin asked in shock, interrupting her.

"Well, don't worry, ma'am." Kara calmed her. "I mean, he's with her now. We're not quite so bad as to leave her al—."

"No, I……….what did you call her?"

Kara got a surprised look on her face and glanced around the deck. "Has no one spoken to you today, Madam President? Not Lee or the Commander?"

"No." Roslin responded. "I've been meeting with the Quorum on Cloud Nine all day. I haven't seen anyone from the Galactica."

Kara sighed and looked right at the President. "We named her Laura. It was Lee's idea, but I thought it was a good one." She began to get worried when she saw the numb look on the President's face. "I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Actually." Roslin finally smiled up at her. "I'm feeling the exact opposite of bothered right now. I'm really………I'm very honored."

"Yeah, well, I really loved that Blackbird." Kara deadpanned.

Roslin laughed loudly, she then got quiet as she looked to her hands resting in her lap. It was almost a full minute before she spoke again. "I can't even count the number of times I almost had the pregnancy terminated. Every day it seemed that I would pick up the phone to order it, but I'd put the phone back down. One day I actually did place the call, and the guards were halfway to the cell before they got word that I had rescinded the order." She looked back up at Kara. "Something always stopped me."

Kara looked back at her seriously. "I'm not trying to………….but _what_ stopped you?"

"I just couldn't do it. I knew that it would be wrong." Roslin told her honestly. "I'm not talking about medical ethics or morality or political ideologies. Just in this particular case, I felt that it wouldn't be the right thing to do."

"Why did you feel that way? I mean everybody else thought—."

"It was a selfish reason really." Roslin answered pensively looking away from Kara. "The President should be concerned with the safety of her people, protecting them at all costs. But if I had been thinking about that, I _would have_ done it."

"But you didn't because……….?"

"I want to _beat_ the Cylons." She chuckled sheepishly. "And I know that I'm not a military strategist, but I don't ever see that happening using guns and fighter jets. They're just too strong." She then looked back, right at Kara. "But your daughter, Laura, she's…………yeah, I know she's half Cylon, but she's also half human. And I want the human side to win out. That wouldn't have happened if I had been the one to end her life." She looked to her hands again. "So that's why I didn't do it."

"Well, I'm glad that you were, um, _selfish_." Kara smiled slightly.

Roslin got hesitant. "I know that you and I have never—." She looked at Kara with regret. "With Captain Apollo and the Commander, I seem to…………we have an understanding. But you and I have never had time—."

"I understand you." Kara corrected gently. "Sometimes I'm astonished at the things you do, but I understand why you do them."

Roslin smiled. "I wish that we had time to—."

"I wish that too. But you're not gonna be around for very long, I get that." Kara then looked back to the hangar exit. "Laura's probably not gonna be around for very long either, I get that too." She bit her lip slightly. "But you know what I've come to realize these last couple of months, Madam President?"

"What's that?"

Kara looked back to her. "It's not the length of time that matters."

Roslin opened her mouth to speak again, but Kara stopped her with a shake of the head. "I think that might be a good place to leave it, Madam President. Too much sentimentality is very draining." She laughed. "And I'm a new mother who hasn't slept well recently. And you………….. well, you need to save your strength."

Roslin nodded at her in agreement. "Donald?" She called to the man. "I'm ready to go now." Donald came over and started to move the President towards the exit.

"I'll see you soon, ma'am." Kara told her as she was wheeled away.

Cally had been standing nearby and walked up to Kara as soon as the President left. They stood there looking at the planes. They didn't speak for a bit, not ignoring each other, but just enjoying that they didn't really have to say anything.

But Kara needed to talk about something that was eating away at her, and Cally knew that. She also knew that the great Starbuck wasn't going to bare her soul without a little prompting.

"That was a good thing that you did, naming her after the President." Cally told her firmly.

Kara smiled sadly. "We wanted her to know that she made an impact, and will continue to even after she's gone."

Cally shook her head slightly. "No, I meant it was a good thing for the baby."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. With a name like that, she's off to a good start." Cally smiled widely at her. "Of course, she caught a lucky break the day she was born, getting a mother like you."

Kara nodded sadly and with a touch of shame as she looked to the floor. "Cally, I think that there is a truth that you, and Lee, and the Commander, and the President, and well, basically everybody in this fleet are going to have to come to terms with. And it is this: I am going to be………………..a TERRIBLE mother."

"No, you won't." Cally responded simply.

"Cally, I couldn't even get her to stop crying, I didn't even know _why_ she was crying. You guys came in and had it figured out in ten seconds."

"But that's just because we've been around babies before. And because we could look at the whole thing objectively."

Kara continued. "Did you know that I went six hours without feeding her the first day? Because who eats more often than that? BABIES, Cally, that's who. Babies eat more often than that." She sighed deeply. "My whole life, I've tried not to do things that I knew I couldn't do better than everybody else. And now this is the most important thing I am ever gonna do and I'm frakking it up! What the hell was everybody thinking? I don't have a shred of maternal instinct in me."

"Of course you do. You teach the nuggets, you're in charge of the air group from time to time." Cally pointed across the deck to where Hotdog and Kat were doing their pre-flights. "You take care of them, you keep them safe, you tell them what to do, and they all do it."

"Yeah, Cally, because they're _afraid _of me!"

"Well, all children are afraid of their mothers to a certain degree." Cally joked as she cocked her eyebrows.

"I don't want fear to be what Laura feels when I'm around. And most children are afraid of getting lectured or grounded. They're not afraid of getting punched or thrown against a bulkhead or beaten."

"You won't do any of those things."

"How can you say that?" Kara nearly shouted. "I did it to Tigh, I did it to Racetrack, I did it to Leob—…………I did it to _others_."

"Yeah, butthey deserved it." Cally reassured.

"Well, who _doesn't _deserve it? I'm sure there were times I deserved it when my mother beat the crap out of me, does that make it right? In every child's life, there comes a time when they deserve it. When they're being rude or ungrateful or just acting like a total frakking brat. And what am I supposed to do then, when the way my mother brought me up is telling me that it's okay to hurt her?"

Cally sighed and looked at her in sympathy. "As long as you do what's best—."

"What's best? Cally, my heart jumps every time I see Laura, _with joy_ is what I'm trying to say. Something happens that I can't explain, that I've never felt before. But there is also a part of my brain that keeps jumping too. And I'm ignoring it, but I know it's still there." She started to choke on her words and took in several shallow breaths. "And that part of my brain is telling me that maybe for us to have done what was best; we should have gotten rid of her the second we got back from Kobol. And I hate that there is one molecule in me that still feels that way…………….but I keep thinking about Admiral Cain."

"Cain?" Cally asked in surprise. "Why the hell would you think about her? She would have had the pregnancy terminated without a second thought, callously, without regret. She would have put it on her '_list of things to do today'_, and then placed the order like she was asking for a cup of coffee."

"Yes, because it would've been what she thought was best. And I'm not forgiving it, but everything that she did was for the best. Of course it was only for the best in her paranoid psychotic little brain, but still, how can I fault her for that?" Kara looked back to the Vipers. "Everything that she did, she thought was for the greater good. And look at the horrible things she was capable of because of that."

Cally smiled and looked to the planes as well. "I think you just identified the way that you're different from your mother and Cain; I don't think either of those women ever stopped to wonder if what they were doing was wrong."

Kara turned back to her. "Cally, in spite of everything that I feel for her, what if I'm just not capable of doing this?"

"That's just it, Starbuck. You're not doing it by yourself, and I'm not just referring to Captain Adama. You're right; something is happening that none of us can explain." She looked over to where Chief Tyrol was working underneath a Viper and spoke with tortured regret in her voice. "I killed Boomer, and I was glad that I did it. They put me in the brig for thirty days, _thirty days _for killing her. And the whole time I was in there, I didn't feel remorse. All I felt was resentment that I was in there at all. '_They shoulda given you a medal for popping that toaster' _That's what they would say to me, and I believed it." She looked back to Kara. "And now me and Racetrack, Miss '_fill hell up with every toaster son of a bitch I find', _we're giving you advice on how to take care of a child that we all know is half-toaster. It's unthinkable, and yet we don't question it. Something _is_ happening here, and I know that you and Apollo thought that you were the only ones that felt it, but you're not."

"I'm starting to realize that." Kara smiled.

"We still feel all the bitterness and hate and fear that we used to, and we're still more than entitled to feel it, but we don't let it consume us. It's like something kinda _whitewashed _it. And I know that it's your baby that did that. And all I can feel is gratitude for that when I look at her."

"Yeah?" Kara questioned as she smiled.

"Uh-huh." Cally smiled back. "Worry about and fear the little stuff, Starbuck; feedings, changings, getting her to sleep. Because the big things will be taken care of. One day you'll find out that the things you fear you are capable of doing, you really _aren't_ capable of doing. Until then, something else has got your back."

Kara studied her from head to toe. "What the frak do you know?" She teased, grinning widely. "What are you………like _twenty_?"

From across the deck, Chief Tyrol called out to her. "Cally, stop bothering the Captain and get over here. I need your help with this converter."

Cally looked over at him and then back to Kara as she smiled. "Gotta go."

"Yeah." Kara whispered to no one in particular as she watched Cally walk away. "Thanks."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Lee woke up to the sound of giggling, both from Laura and from Kara. The second sound made him smile, Kara didn't usually giggle. Cackle, yes. Guffaw, yes. Snort in raucous laughter, absolutely. But this was gentle, sweet. A part of him still thought that it was frakking weird to hear anything gentle come from Kara, but everything that had happened in the last three weeks had turned his perception of things upside down, so it was just a tiny part.

He had his arm draped across his face, hiding from them that he was now awake. He laid on the couch and listened to his daughter and his…………….whatever the hell Kara was. He peeked over at the other side of the living area to look at them. Laura was sitting in her high-chair and Kara was attempting to feed her. From the looks of the splatters of food everywhere, it wasn't going too well.

"Laura, Laaauuurrraa? Will you eat this for me like a good girl, please?"

Laura just babbled and clapped her hands together as she moved her head around to avoid the spoon that Kara moved in her direction.

"Laura?" Kara gave her a pointed look of warning and Laura obediently opened her mouth to let the food in. "Good girl. That was very good of you to do what I asked. You're an excellent toaster baby." She looked over to the small lamp that sat on the nearby desk. "If I put that plug in your mouth, would you make that lamp turn on?" Kara laughed too as Laura giggled and babbled incoherently in response. "I'm not gonna do it for obvious safety reasons, but I bet you would. I bet you'd light up this whole room for Mommy."

Lee's eyes got wide at the remark and he spoke with his arm still across his face. "Kara."

"You're the cutest little toaster baby ever, aren't you? I think you are." Kara spoke as Laura squealed happily and slapped her hands down on the tray of her high-chair.

"Kara." Lee spoke again in an admonishing tone. She continued to ignore that he was even awake.

"Mommy loves her little toaster baby. Yes I do, I love her very much."

"KARA!" He shouted as he finally dropped his arm and looked over at them fully.

They both looked at him in surprise of his raised voice. "What?"

"Do you really think you should be doing that?" He asked her seriously.

She smiled cleverly. "I'm feeding her. Do you not want me to feed our daughter?"

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "You know what I'm talking about."

She laughed as she wiped some food off Laura's face. "Exactly what bothered you?"

"Well," He started. "First of all, you woke me up. Second, calling her that is inappropriate."

"Okay," She responded. "First of all, you needed to get up anyway; your shift starts in twenty minutes. And second, it was a joke."

"Do you really think that's something that you should joke about?"

She smiled faintly and looked over at him. "I have to, Lee." She sighed a little. "I love her, you know I love her, and she knows I love her. But this is what I do. If I didn't joke about this, it would just be too weird and tragic for me to deal with. So I _wouldn't_ deal with it, I'd just go crazy and totally shut myself off. And I can't let that happen, this is too important." Her smile widened. "So let me joke about this, so that I can be the person that she needs me to be."

He nodded and exhaled loudly. "Well, when you put it that way." He rose from the couch and came over to kiss Laura on the forehead, ruffling her brown hair. "I can't really argue with it." He then shook his finger at Kara. "Just make sure that you don't use that nickname very often, or in public. And that you stop before she knows what it means."

Kara gave him a salute and picked up the spoon again. But before she could get the spoon into Laura's mouth, Laura grabbed it from her and threw it on the floor, giggling loudly and grinning up at Lee.

"Yeah, that was cute, little Laura." He laughed as he picked up Kara's cup of coffee from the table and drank some. Kara rose from her chair in irritation and went over to wash off the spoon that she had picked up from the floor. "Don't think Mommy liked it though."

Kara sat down and began to try again, but Laura wouldn't even open her mouth. "Laura, come on, please? What exactly is the problem, little girl? It can't taste that bad." She put the spoon in her own mouth to taste some and her face contorted in disgust. "Okay, I was wrong." She grabbed the cloth and wiped off her tongue. "What the hell is this crap that we're feeding our child?"

"Something that the President had to call in a lot of favors to get for us." He took another sip of coffee. "So let's just appreciate it, shall we?" He watched with a mixture of amusement and a little horror as Kara moved the spoon towards Laura's mouth and the child moved her head away again. "Kara, you can't just shovel the food into her mouth."

"I'm not." She shot back.

"You also can't just come at her with the spoon. That will give her time to devise a strategy of avoidance. You gotta go at it like a diversionary op. Here, give it to me." He gestured for her to hand him the spoon, and she complied as he sat down next to her. He put the spoon in the jar and then grabbed his dogtags out from under his tanks. When he jangled them in front of Laura, her eyes got wide and she reached out to try and grab them. Her mouth dropped open as well, and that's when he snuck the spoon inside. "See? Easy as pie. She always eats like a good girl for me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. All hail the father of the year." Kara laughed as she saw how Laura was now eating away.

"I'll finish up here." He told her.

"Uh-huh, that's a nice thought." Kara told him, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms. "But it takes about thirty minutes for her to eat, and you now have…………. seventeen minutes to get on deck before CAP."

"Actually," He corrected as he continued to feed Laura. "I don't have to be anywhere for a while. I got someone to take over my shift."

"Oh, yeah? Who?"

"You." He answered simply.

"Me?" She whispered in shock.

"Uh-huh. Since we got Laura, you've done maintenance shifts, which I know is not your favorite thing. And you've done shifts in CIC, which I know you hate with a passion." He looked at her in admiration. "But what you haven't done yet is fly, which I know you love to do."

"Lee…….I don't really think—."

Lee turned back to Laura and grinned at her. "Maybe Mommy hasn't flown yet because she thinks that she'll be a bad mother if she's a kick-ass pilot, or because she thinks she'll be a bad pilot if she's a really good Mommy. And she doesn't want to be bad at either. But you know what Daddy thinks?" He then looked Kara straight in the eye. "I don't think it's _possible_ for her to be bad at either."

Kara looked back at him in excitement, but she also looked at Laura with slight guilt. "You don't think she'll mind?"

Lee looked back to Laura as well. "She'll be with me; you leave her alone with me all the time. We have lots of fun. She likes me. Don't ya?" He leaned in to where he was inches from Laura's face and she gently slapped his cheeks as she smiled at him. "Now get the hell outta here, would ya?" He was speaking to Kara, but still looking right at Laura. "You're domesticity is annoying the crap out of me, go be Starbuck for a while."

"Yeah?" She smirked.

"Yeah." He answered as he turned to her. "I mean, you better make damn sure you come back, but yeah. You've got fifteen and a half minutes to get to the deck, and I've heard that the tightass CAG hates it when his pilots are late."

She rose from the chair with barely restrained jubilation. "She'll need to be—."

"She will be." He answered.

"And you'll need to—." She pushed the chair back to the table.

"I will." He answered again.

She froze and then looked around nervously. "I don't know, Lee. Maybe I should—."

"Maybe you should get the hell outta here before I shove you out the door." He said to her as he picked up Laura from her high-chair. "Say bye to Mommy. Tell her to have fun with the birdies." He waved at Kara as Laura laughed and then laid her head down on his shoulder.

"I'm gonna go now." Kara told him as she walked to the door.

"Good."

"I mean it." She warned him as her hand was on the knob.

"I know."

"Last chance." She warned him again.

"Kara, in about two seconds we're gonna start picking stuff up and throwing it at you." He kissed the side of Laura's head. "And then we'll laugh as it bounces off your head."

Kara smiled one last time and stepped through the door, closing it behind her. Then about two seconds later it opened a sliver and she poked her head through. "And Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." And she closed the door for good this time.

Lee looked at the child in his arms, she looked back at him and giggled. "She's weird, isn't she?" He asked as Laura nodded and pointed to the door. "That's okay, I like weird."

* * *

"Yeah, you're gonna have to stop doing that." Lee told Kingston four days later as they stood in the ready room with a bunch of other pilots. 

"Why?" Kingston asked innocently.

"Because I don't like it."

"Anything more specific?" Kingston chuckled.

"Does there need to be?" Lee asked as he tried to rub away the knot in his neck.

"Guess not." Kingston gulped.

"Hey CAG, you okay?" Hotdog asked nervously. "You seem a little tense."

"I'm fine." Lee answered in annoyance. "I just haven't slept much lately."

Stinger spoke up. "Is the baby keeping you up, or is Starbuck?" He teased.

Lee's eyes got wide. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on." Stinger laughed. "I mean everybody knew that you were frakking before, but now that you two have got your own room, you must be goin' at it non-stop."

"_Stinger_………" Hotdog groaned under his breath in warning.

"I'd love to know what she's like. Starbuck is such a hellcat; at the card table, in the cockpit………….she must wear you out in the sack."

"Oh, man." Kingston covered his eyes. "Stinger, you are so far past the line that you can't even _see_ it anymore."

But Stinger was oblivious to the warnings as he continued to laugh.

"LT. MICHAELS!" Lee shouted in Stinger's face as he jerked in shock and came to attention. "Be glad that it was me and not Captain Thrace that you said that to. Not only was it disrespectful and inappropriate, it was also idiotic. It is not possible to do _anything _non-stop when you have a child. And the room isn't just ours, Laura lives there too." He sighed and stepped back from Stinger. "Stand at ease……..and think things through a little more before you speak."

"Sorry, sir." Stinger croaked out.

Lee walked to the hatch and then smirked deviously as he turned back around to face them. "And by the way, your perception of Starbuck is dead on. But Starbuck's with me now, so you'll never, ever, ever know what she's like."

Lee walked down the hallway slightly disgusted with himself. Not only had he lost his cool while speaking to the other pilots, he'd also lied to them. And that was what he was most disgusted with. Not for the actual lying, those idiots had no right to know the truth, but because he _had_ to lie.

Because he didn't know what Kara was like in the sack, he didn't even know what side of the bed she slept on. In the nearly four weeks that they had been living in that room, he and Kara had not ever really been alone in it together.

They alternated nights. One night Kara would be on the couch next to Laura's crib and Lee would be in the tiny bedroom, the next it would be reversed. And often since Kara went back to work, they had opposite shifts so that one of them could be with Laura at all times.

They were a family in spirit, but not really in practice. And oh, how he longed to practice with Kara.

Lee had to shake away the dirty thoughts and images that were running through his head. '_You can't do that with a baby in the next room.'_ He thought. '_Okay, you can if you cover each others mouths to muffle the moaning.'_

Again he had to shake his head. It was wrong of him to think of her that way, she was the mother of his child. Just this morning Kara and Laura had done something so sweet, the mere memory of it brought a smile to his face.

But as he was remembering it, he was blindsided with another memory of something that had happened not five minutes after. He had walked into the bedroom without knocking and saw Kara getting dressed. The sight of her naked body had made him freeze in place in the doorway, sweating nervously as a loud gulp escaped from his throat.

It was the sound of the gulp that had made her turn around and notice him. But she just put on her bra and tanks in no big rush and smiled at him as she asked him a question that he didn't even really hear because of the ringing in his ears. It seemed as if it really hadn't bothered her that he had seen her naked.

'_Well, why the hell should it? You've only seen her naked a hundred times before.'_

But it was different now, she was……………..again, he couldn't really put a description on what she was. He knew what he wanted her to be, he knew what they had planned on being, but somehow, putting the plan into effect was not as easy as he thought it would be.

It was almost as if the huge leap they had taken in becoming Laura's parents had exhausted them so much that they didn't feel that they could do the other thing justice. So they didn't even try.

And now all he could think was that they were both total frakking cowards. He would have to fix that. He was heading back to their quarters now. She had to be on shift in twenty minutes, so he couldn't really do anything then, but he could at least let her know that he needed to talk to her.

Lee heard a distant voice calling to him. "Son?"

Lee looked up to see that the owner of the voice was walking right to him, and he had just been too involved in his internal discussion to notice. "Hey, Dad."

"Going home?" Adama asked.

"Yep, right now."

"How are things going with Laura?" Adama asked as he looked down the hall in the direction that Lee was heading.

Lee smiled widely. "I'm still trying to feel my way through it, but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"And with Kara?" Adama inquired with caution.

Lee's smile dropped and he looked to the floor as he scratched the bridge of his nose. "I'm still trying to feel my way through it," He exhaled loudly. "And I think I keep running into brick walls."

"Kara's causing problems?" Adama asked in surprised worry.

Lee realized that talking to his father about anything remotely involving his sex life (or lack thereof) was _not_ an option. "Um, noooo." He answered semi-dishonestly. "She's not; you wouldn't believe how great she is with Laura."

"I see how great she is with Laura, and I see how great _you_ are with Laura. What I don't see is how great you are with each other. You're a team………….when it comes to your daughter. In every other aspect, you might as well be living back in the officer's bunk."

'_Is he actually advocating that I frak Kara?' _Lee thought. '_No, you motherfrakking idiot, he's advocating that you be a man and do what you want to do.'_

"Families don't really work if you do them halfway." Adama told him. "You have to be there." He added regretfully. "For every single member."

"We just, we're just still trying to figure things out, Dad." Lee sighed. "We still don't know what our boundaries are yet."

Adama's face took on a bemused appearance and his mouth almost quirked up in a smile. "I think with Kara, the best thing is not to _have_ any boundaries."

"Yeah." Lee grinned self-deprecatingly. "Well, I don't know if you've noticed this, but I've never really been good at relationships."

Adama stood in front of him, his face expressionless while Lee waited for him to respond to the statement. He just kept on waiting.

After about 5 seconds, Lee spoke first. "Now would be the time for you to say 'No, son, I don't think that's true. You're just fine with relationships.'"

Adama just cocked his eyebrows and patted Lee on the arm. "Have a good night, son."

As his father walked away, Lee called after him. "Hey, Dad? I wanted to ask you something."

Adama turned back around. "What's that?"

"You've been in the military, what? Over forty years?" Lee paused as Adama nodded in the affirmative. "Do you ever remember an op that had the code name _Mercury_?"

Adama thought for a moment. "No. There was never an op that I knew of by that name. As a matter of fact, I've never even heard that word before."

"Yeah, I know. It's just……… that word's been running through my head for a while now and it seems familiar to me." Lee rubbed his forehead. "But I can't think of how I know it."

"Can't help you, Lee."

"Yeah, thanks Dad." Lee nodded as he started to walk away, but he turned back. "Did you just come from seeing Laura?"

Adama turned back as well. "I just tried, but I only saw Kara instead. Laura's not at home."

Lee turned around and started to walk back to his quarters, but in midstride, a wave of fear came over him at his father's last words. "What the hell?" He hissed to himself, right before he took off in a dead run.

"KARA!" He screamed as he ran through their hatch, his fear growing since he had noticed that the ever-present marines were not standing guard in the hallway. 

She came out from the bedroom. "Lee? What's wrong?"

"Where is she?"

Kara looked around the room in surprise. "Laura?"

He exhaled loudly in irritation. "Yes, Laura. Who the hell did you think I was talking about? Dad just told me that you were in here, but that she wasn't."

"Your father was right." She shrugged.

"Is she in sickbay?"

"No, she's fine." She went over to the sink and got a glass of water. "Dee's got her."

He walked over and stood a few feet behind her, his nervousness reaching new heights. "You say that so simply, like it's no big deal."

She chuckled slightly. "That's because it _isn't_ a big deal. Dee's got her, Billy's with Dee, and then there's the added bonus that she has a marine guard following her wherever she goes."

"Which marine?"

"Corporal Venner." Kara replied, taking a sip from her glass.

Lee calmed noticeably. She had just named three people that he trusted implicitly. But still, this was the first time since they got her that Laura hadn't been with at least one of them. "Okay, well that's good. Where'd Dee take her anyway, the observation deck to look at the stars?"

"Yeah, Lee, because I figured it would be a good idea to let Dee and her boyfriend take my infant daughter to make-out central." She said sarcastically as she turned from the sink to face him. "The President wanted to see her, so they took her to Colonial One."

His eyes got wide. "What the frak is wrong with you?" He snapped at her, his calm quickly disintegrating again.

"What the frak is wrong with _you_?" She snapped back without the slightest hesitation.

"You let someone take her off the ship?" He rubbed his forehead. "I can't believe you let someone take her off the ship!"

"Do I need to call Cottle to come give you a tranquilizer?" She threatened. "You need to calm the frak down. She's with Dee, she's with Billy, she's with Venner, and she's on Colonial One. It's not like I shipped her off to the Astral Queen. And I don't know if you've noticed this, since you're only on that ship _every other day,_ but Colonial One is not exactly without security." Kara softened considerably. "The President wanted to spend some time with Laura, but it's towards the end of the day and she's exhausted. And I knew that Dee wanted an excuse to spend some time with Billy, so when the President called to suggest that Dee and Billy bring her over, I really didn't see any harm."

"Kara, it's just—." He turned away and walked a few paces from her.

"I know, Lee." She attempted to soothe him as she followed after him. "But this is a fleet for frak's sake. We can't keep her off other ships for the rest of her life. And do you really have any doubts about the people that she's with?"

"No." He whispered honestly.

"Good."

"I'm sorry I got so freaked out. Maybe I'm just afraid of the quiet." He chuckled slightly. "I was expecting her to be here tonight. And I haven't been alone in these quarters since we moved in."

She walked back over to the sink and put down her glass. "You won't be alone. I'll be here."

"You will?" He asked in surprise.

She kept her back to him as she replied hesitantly. "Yeah, I got someone to switch shifts with me. I'm free until 1500 tomorrow. I thought it would be nice if we could spend some time, you know, together."

"Gods, I'm sorry your plans got ruined." He said sympathetically. "You change your shift all around and then you find out that Laura won't even be here."

She finally turned around to face him, looking him straight in the eye. "I switched shifts _after_ the President called."

"Oh." He choked out as his heart began to beat a little faster.

"I got some food from the mess." She pointed to the counter and he noticed the trays. She then turned back to take off the lids. "Things have been so crazy lately, what with the different shifts and getting settled in. I feel like I haven't spoken more than two words to you that weren't baby-related in weeks."

"When will Laura be back?" He asked, trying to sound non-chalant. But even he could hear the anticipation in his voice as he walked over to stand next to her.

"Probably not till late. I even told them that if it was _too_ late, they could stay on Colonial One in one of the converted cargo holds." She laughed slightly. "That might be a better idea than attempting to bring an over-tired infant back in a Raptor in the middle of the night. Anyway, they have all of the stuff that she needs, just in case they need to stay."

His finger traced a circle on the countertop. "I see." He leaned in slightly, but she hadn't noticed that he was coming toward her, so as she moved away to get another glass from the cabinet, he nearly fell over. He caught himself and looked away, stuttering as he picked up the trays. "I'll, um, I'll set the table."

They sat for nearly an hour, talking, laughing, and trading stories. Not only stories about ops and maneuvers and past transgressions, but also about things that their daughter had done."

"_You_ taught her that!" Kara pointed her finger at him accusingly and chuckled. "I'm gonna kill you for teaching her that!"

"I didn't teach it to her intentionally." Lee defended. "Besides, would you rather she cry and scream for hours on end?"

"Well, yeah, actually." She laughed. "She's a baby. If something is upsetting her, I'd rather she just cry about it for a while and get it out of her system………… instead of holding onto it and pouting for the rest of the day like her father does." She grinned widely. "You keep this up and she's gonna be in therapy for the rest of her life."

Lee laughed heartily. "She's gonna be in therapy no matter what."

"Because she's half-Cylon?" She teased. "Or because she has us as parents?"

He nodded resolutely. "The second thing." He smirked and then looked over to the crib. "Gods, she's getting so big. How long do you think she'll still sleep in her crib?"

"A month, maybe two." Kara answered quietly; lowering her head as she nervously tapped her fork against the table. "But she's sleeping through the night now. Soon she won't need us watching over her every second of the day."

Lee looked over at her longingly, hoping that she was suggesting what he thought she was suggesting. "Maybe soon she'll even want some privacy when she sleeps."

"Maybe." Kara answered softly as she looked back up at him, stretching her arms behind her head like a cat. Lee's eyes glazed over at the sexy movement.

'_Gods, you're such a wuss. Just tell her. You promised yourself that you'd tell her and now that she's giving you a golden opportunity, you're gonna let it slip by. You don't even have to TELL her, just throw her on top of the table and start goin' at it. Just do whatev—.'_

"I'm tired." She stated simply, pulling him away from his self-admonishment. "I'm gonna go to bed."

"It's only 19:45." He pointed out, afraid that his opportunity to express his feelings was slipping away.

"Yeah." She breathed out as she bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at him in wonder. "Well, it's been a long day."

"Oh, okay." He said in a slight, defeated tone. He looked over to the couch. "Well, I know that it's my turn to sleep in the bed, but since you're so tired and since Laura's not here to keep an eye on, you can have it. I'll sleep on the couch."

She chuckled softly in disbelief and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Lee?" She purred as she rose from her chair and sauntered over to him.

"Ye-ea-ah?" He stuttered as he looked up at her from his seat, his eyes lighting up with hope and desire.

She reached down and took his hand, entwining it with hers. "I'm not really tired, and you're not really sleeping on the couch anymore."

The air stopped in his lungs for a second and he swallowed his heart back down into his chest. "Thank gods." He moaned as he rose from his chair and took her in his arms, melding her mouth with his. He pressed against her until she was perched on the edge of the table. "Oh gods, Kara." He rasped as his fingers found the edge of her tanks.

"I love you." She whispered as if she'd been saying it for years, instead of for the first time.

He pulled back to look at her, his whole face frozen in happy surprise.

"What?" She smiled deviously as she let her fingers drift up his neck. "You didn't think I did?"

"No, I knew you did." He answered truthfully. "I guess I just thought it would harder to finally drag it out of you."

She chuckled softly. "It's the truth. And I'm trying to grow as a person." She teased as she undid his belt buckle. "So let's not make a big issue out of the fact that I finally told you the truth."

"I'll let it drop completely………………" He teased back. "If you say it again."

"No." She told him firmly, pouting playfully. "I've already said it. You need to say it before I do again, just to make things even."

"But we're already grossly _uneven_." He laughed as he lifted her tanks over her head, dropping them to the floor. "You've only said it once. I've said it _three_ times."

"Twice." She corrected as she leaned in, her lips brushing a path over his neck. "You've only said it _twice_."

"Three times." He shot back. "On the Astral Queen, in sickbay our first day with Laura, and then again last week." He managed to get those words out pretty coherently, considering that his brain was on fire at the feel of her lips on his skin.

She leaned back and thought for a moment. "Last week?" She then began to laugh softly as she realized what he was talking about. "You only said it in gratitude because I managed to get Laura to sleep after you'd been trying for over an hour. That doesn't count."

"Did the words 'I love you' come out of my mouth?"

"Yes, but—."

"Then it counts." He told her, loving the banter between them. "Which means that you owe me two more."

"Fine." She planted a hard kiss on his lips. "I love you. You happy?"

"Very. Now you just need to say it once more." He chuckled, the sound dripping with seduction as he pushed her bra strap aside to kiss her shoulder. "And after that, I have a feeling I'll be saying it all night long."

"How 'bout I _show_ you that I love you?" She grinned lasciviously as she ran her foot up his leg. "Would that count?"

"You do it right, and it'll count as more than once." He groaned as his hands danced up her rapidly-heating skin.

She disentangled herself from him with a needy groan and started to lead him to the small bedroom, but she didn't make it halfway there before she pulled him to her again. He buried his hands in her hair as she started to unbutton his jacket. "I'm so glad you kept this on." She mumbled between scorching kisses as she took it off and threw it across the room. "I never would've been able to last until after dinner if I'd had to look at your arms the whole time."

* * *

Three days later, Lee greeted the guards outside his quarters and walked through the hatch. When he came into the room, he saw Kara giving Laura a bath in the sink and heard Kara's newly-found, sweet voice singing in his ears. Kara gently wiped the cloth over Laura's skin, smiling at her the whole time. And he too couldn't help but smile at that image. 

Then he heard the words that Kara was saying, and the smile quickly fell from his face.

"I will make your life miserable, do you understand me? I will hunt you down and do something so viscous to you that they've been afraid to actually give it a name."

She was saying it like a poem, like a lullaby: gentle and soothing.

"You pathetic little frak." She singed again.

"KARA!" He shouted as he walked over to her.

But when she turned to him in surprise, he noticed that she had the phone pressed to her ear. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said as he calmed considerably. "I just didn't realize that you were on the phone."

She went back to her conversation as she tickled Laura's stomach. "Yeah, why don't you go find that out and I'll stay here on the phone. Just a word of advice though, if you come back with an answer I don't like, you better be prepared to jettison yourself out an airlock, because that is the only thing that will save you from a life of pain."

Lee had to chuckle to himself. The tone of her voice was sugary, disguising that she was speaking words of anger.

She heard him laughing and smiled over at him. "What's so funny?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"I'm on a ship-to-ship with Captain Taylor over on the Pegasus. Stupid frak's been trying to jerk us around for weeks, actually believing that we're so stupid that we wouldn't notice. Well, I noticed and now he's gonna pay." She tapped Laura's tiny nose and grinned at her. "Mommy's gonna decimate him."

"So if you're so angry, why aren't you yelling at him?" He smiled down at the sink as he saw Laura splash the water around with her little hands.

"Because Laura gets upset when I yell. And it already took me twenty minutes to get her settled down enough to take her bath, because she was so worked up after spending the afternoon with your dad. You know he let's her do anything she wants, right?"

"Yes, I do. But I let her do anything she wants too, so it would be hypocritical of me to say anything to him about it." He turned and leaned against the counter. "Still, Kara, I don't think Taylor will be all that intimidated if you threaten him in baby-talk instead of shouting at him."

"If anything, he's _more_ intimidated. I could practically hear him pee his pants over the phone." She smiled cunningly as she bent down so that she was face to face with Laura. "The tone may be sweet, but the words are very, very sour." She stood up again when she heard Taylor get back on the phone. "Yeah, I don't really care." She sung melodically to him. "You fix it or I'll strangle you with my bare hands right after I cut off certain parts of your anatomy that you'd rather not be separated from." Kara hung up the phone as Laura cooed at her. She saw Lee staring at her wide-eyed. "What?" She chuckled.

He pulled her against him, boxing himself in between the sink and her body. "I'm so turned on right now, you have no idea." He then quickly jerked away from the sink when he felt his lower back get soaked with water. He turned around to see Laura laughing and slapping the water playfully. "Hey!"

"Good girl, little Laura." Kara purred as she ran her hands over Lee's shirt. "I've been looking for an excuse to get Daddy outta these clothes."

"Put her to bed and give me ten minutes." He kissed Kara below her ear. "I've gotta call the President and tell her that everything is set."

"You spoke to them? And they agreed?" She asked softly, pulling away from him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I spoke to them just now."

"And they were both okay with it?" She asked again as she lifted Laura from the sink.

"They were both _more_ than okay with it." He smiled as he grabbed a towel and wrapped the child in it, taking her in his arms. "It's set up for tomorrow at 10:30."

Kara froze with surprise. "That soon?"

"Well, ever since Laura came back from Colonial One, the President's been pretty insistent with her suggestion that she be confirmed." He paused for a moment when he saw Laura yawn loudly. "Father Monseau, you remember him? He's coming over here to do the ceremony."

"Where's it gonna be?"

"Dad and the President have been talking, and she wants a place of worship set up here on Galactica. He thinks it's a pretty good idea too, you know, for morale reasons. So they converted that empty maintenance bay into a chapel. They were gonna use it as a theater for educational films when they were planning on making the ship a museum, so the room's already set up with pews and things like that." He rubbed Laura's hair with the towel and they could both tell that she was already starting to get sleepy. She laid her head down on Lee's shoulder as he dried her off. "We'll do the ceremony there."

Kara reached up to stroke a finger over Laura's chubby cheek. "Okay."

Lee waited for a moment, getting up his nerve. "The priest will be there by 09:45. If we went a little early, we could take care of the other thing too."

Kara snorted softly, but the smile on her face was genuine. "You know, I should have no idea what you're referring to, considering that that was the vaguest proposal of marriage in all of human history." She eased Laura from Lee's arms when she saw that her eyes were closed and she was snoring softly. "But somehow I _do_ know what you're talking about."

"And?" He smirked, his heart full of hope as he watched Kara put her down on the table to get her ready for bed.

Kara gazed up at him as she put the sleeping child in her night clothes, not looking at what she was doing because she had already become so skilled at it. "Meet me in the chapel at 10:00 tomorrow, and you'll get your answer." She grinned.

* * *

"…………..and we ask that you, Lords of Kobol, look over this new family." Father Monseau said as he stood in the middle of the group at the front of the chapel. "Families are not always created by birth or by blood. Some times they are formed when strangers are thrown together in situations of danger and desperation. Clinging to each other because of shared pain and uncertainty, they find a common bond that melds them together. And that bond is stronger than steel." 

Commander Adama looked at the many people standing in the group with him and lowered his head as the truth of the priest's words echoed in his ears.

"Laura Karla Adama," Monseau continued as he laid his hand on Laura's forehead, the child resting in her godsmother's arms. "We pray to the gods that all of us together will be able to give you the love and strength that you will need to serve your righteous purpose. We pray that every second of the day, you will feel the power of faith running through your special body. And we pray that you will see that the gift you will give to us is the ultimate, and most precious of all expressions of humanity."

Kara looked over at Lee nervously as Monseau turned to them. "And we pray thatyou whom the gods entrusted with the child's life can see that the difficulties you will face as a family will only intensify your devotion to each other and the fidelity with which she will carry out her destiny. And we pray that when the time comes, you will be able to let her go as all parents must; secure in the knowledge that she is loved. Now, then and always thereafter."

Lee looked over at President Roslin. She was standing next to his father, smiling a sad but understanding smile. She noticed him looking at her with concern etched on his face and her expression quickly changed to one of intense pride.

Father Monseau finally turned to the two people standing at the forefront. "As this child's godsfather, will you promise to love and encourage her? Not only her physical and emotional being, but her spiritual one as well?"

Chief Tyrol nodded. "I will." He answered.

"And as this child's godsmother," Monseau asked the woman holding Laura. "Will you promise to give yourself over fully to your mission to protect and honor her soul?"

The young woman looked around the room tentatively, then smiled down to the child in her arms. "I will." Dualla answered.

"Then Laura," Monseau said as he let her tiny hand grasp his finger. "This is your family. It is an unusual one, but it is a noble one nonetheless. And it is entirely worthy of carrying out the will of the gods. And you have now been confirmed in the faith of the thirteen tribes of Kobol. Something stronger than time and distance will be looking after you throughout all eternity." He looked up at the group and smiled. "So say we all."

"So say we all." The entire group repeated.

As the ceremony ended, people began breaking off into groups to speak to each other.

"That was a very cruel thing that we just did to Laura." Lee whispered to Kara as he kissed her cheek. "Naming her what we did."

"What's so cruel about it? Laura is the President's name, Karl was Helo's name, and Adama is your name."

He laughed. "It's just... that's just _way_ too many vowels for a kid to have in her name."

"_Kara Adama_ is just as bad." Kara pointed out.

"Yeah, but you weren't given that name intentionally." He teased. "You were tricked into taking it by marriage." He smirked as she dissolved into laughter. "I'm gonna go talk to Cally and the Chief."

Kara let him go and came over to check on Laura as Dee held her. "Thank you for doing this, Dee."

"Of course." Dee smiled down at the child before looking up at Kara nervously. "I'm just a little surprised. Because of what happened, or what almost happened, between Captain Adama and me. I thought it might be a little awkward for you."

Kara's eyes widened and she grinned mischievously. "I wasn't aware that you knew that I knew about that."

"I work in communications, all info goes through me." Deejoked in return. "I know everything." She got serious again. "Still, I'm a little surprised that Lee even suggested me as godsmother."

"I suggested you." Kara corrected.

"_You_ did?" Dee asked in shock. "Why?"

Kara looked away. "Because I wasn't there, when the Old Man was hurt. I was somewhere else. And I realize now that it was a good thing that I was where I was, because of what I brought back with me. But I still feel guilty that I wasn't there." She then turned back to look at them. "But I feel better knowing that you _were_, because I know that he was taken care of. Because that's what you do, Dee; you take care of people." She gently rubbed Laura's arm she babbled away, pointing at random things in the room. "And I want that for my daughter."

"Well, then." Dee spoke softly, glancing knowingly over at the President and Father Monseau before smiling at Laura again. "I hope that I'm worthy of the task."

Lee saw that the President and the priest were finishing up their conversation, so he left Tyrol and hesitantly walked over to them. "Father Monseau," He said as he held out his hand. "Thank you. That was very nice, um, religious talking."

Monseau laughed at the awkward phrasing of the gratitude and shook Lee's outstretched hand. "Thank you, Captain. At the President's request, I'll be coming to Galactica a couple times a week. There's no pressure, of course, but maybe someday you'd like to come hear some more _religious_ _talking_." He then nodded to Roslin and then moved away to give them privacy.

Lee smiled at the President. "You seem to be doing well today, Madam President. I wasn't sure that you'd be able to come. The last time I saw you, you didn't seem to be doing all that great."

She chuckled. "It's very fickle, my illness. Some days are better than others. This was a _very good_ day."

"I'm glad."

"Thank you for allowing this, Captain Apollo." Roslin said. "I know that you've never been the most religious person. But I greatly appreciate that you were willing to do this because _I_ wanted it to happen."

"Well, Kara wanted it too. So, it really wasn't a big deal." He replied as he looked over at Father Monseau, now standing at the other side of the room. "I wanted to ask you, I know that I haven't been well-versed in spiritual incantations, but……………didn't he ad-lib a bit?"

Roslin nodded, but smiled calmly. "There is no set phrase book, Captain. The priest can say whatever he feels is fitting to the situation."

"And he thought that all that talk about destiny and purpose and unusual families was fitting to our situation?"

The President raised her eyebrows. "Well, yes. And so do I. Yours _is_ an unusual family, and I believe that all of us have a destiny and a purpose." She saw his concern grow and spoke to soothe him. "But it's just religious talk, Captain Apollo. It doesn't really mean anything."

Lee nodded. A small part of him thought that it was a lie that the priest's words hadn't meant anything. But the part of him that just wanted this to be as normal as it possibly could, given the circumstances, greatly overwhelmed the other part. So he chose to believe that it was true.

The President placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and then turned away to speak to the rest of the group. "Thank you all for coming today. And thank you for believing, despite what logic and conventionality tells us, that this is a good thing that we're doing." She smiled widely. "And I come bearing gifts. Donald, will you bring them to me, please?"

The President's new aide stayed where he was, and Billy moved forward instead.

"Donald doesn't have them, Madam President. I do." Billy told her as he handed her the two items. He then leaned in to whisper to her. "And just so you know, before, when people used to call me 'Roslin's little errand boy'……..I never took it as an insult."

Roslin pulled back to look at him with a grateful, heartbreaking smile reaching up to her moistening eyes. "Thank you." She whispered to him. She then looked to Adama. "The first gift is for you, _Admiral_." She said proudly as she held out a small box for him. Lee and Kara smiled widely, and Colonel Tigh patted him on the back.

Adama came forward humbly and took the box. "I told you, Madam President. This was not necessary."

"Actually, it _is_ necessary. It's also long overdue. You've had both battlestars under your command for months now. It was time for me to give you the promotion that you have so rightfully earned." She smiled as she took the box away from him again and opened it up. "So, Admiral Adama, stop being so humble and just accept your damn gift." She then pinned the insignia to his collar.

"Thank you, President Roslin." He smiled back in gratitude.

"Now, my knowledge of military ritual is not vast, but I do believe that when a man gets promoted, he is usually granted a kiss from the most beautiful girl in the room." Roslin said as she looked back to Kara, Lee and Laura.

Lee leaned over to whisper something in Laura's ear, she then started to laugh and clap her hands as Kara brought her forward to the Admiral.

Adama took the child in his arms and she kissed him on the chin. She then mouthed unintelligible words at him and began to play with his new Admiral's stars. He just chuckled lovingly back at her.

"Laura, those are Grandpa's new toys." Lee warned playfully. "Leave them alone."

"Actually," Roslin said as she held up the next gift. "She gets a toy too."

The President came up to the two of them and held out a small toy bear that was wearing a miniature jersey for the Aerilon Chiefs pyramid team. "The Quorum representative from Aerilon gave this to me, I hope you like it." Laura's blue eyes lit up and she reached for the toy, she then held out her arms for the President to hold her. The Admiral transferred her over to Roslin and she held up the bear for Laura to examine. She smiled and giggled happily in the President's arms as she took her gift.

Roslin gleamed at the child who was now quite oblivious to the fact that there was anyone else in the room besides her and her new Aerilon Chiefs bear.

Just then, everyone was shocked out of the trance of watching the precious scene by a small flash of light. Roslin and Laura both looked up at the same time to see an unfamiliar man holding a small, concealed camera.

Lee rushed forward to stop the man, but Colonel Tigh got there first and grabbed the camera.

"Hey!" The man shouted in indignation as he tried to grab it back.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?" Tigh sneered.

"I'm a member of the press." The camera guy replied snottily as he took out his press pass from his pocket. "And this is news that the fleet deserves to know about."

"This isn't news." Lee yelled as he pushed him. "This is a private family gathering and you're not welcome."

"This isn't a restricted area, but fine, whatever." The man hissed. "Give me back my camera and I'll leave."

"Sounds good." Tigh responded as he opened the camera and pulled out the memory stick. He then pushed the empty camera against the man's chest. "Take your camera and get the hell off this ship."

"That memory stick is my personal property."

"Be glad that we're not throwing you in Galactica's brig for coming onto the ship under false pretenses." Roslin added, still holding Laura, who was now frightened by all the commotion. "You're also going to find out tomorrow that your press credentials have been revoked."

One of the two corporals in the room escorted the man to the exit. Corporal Venner then came up to Lee. "I'm sorry, Captain. He said he was with the President's group, and we thought the camera was a pager."

"It's fine, Corporal." Lee said as Tigh handed him the memory stick. "No harm done."

* * *

"I couldn't get a clear shot." The camera guy said as he stood with two other men on another ship later that day. "Or more accurately, I got it, but Apollo and the lush colonel got in the way." 

Another man spoke up in disbelief. "You actually tried to take down Roslin and the kid while you were on Galactica? With the Adamas _in the room_?"

The camera guy started to laugh. Then the third man spoke up in his defense. "A photo shot, York." Tom Zarek corrected. "We were trying to get a shot of the Cylon child in the loving embrace of both the governmental and military leaders of the fleet." He chuckled.

"But what good would that do, I mean, isn't it just a picture?" York asked naively.

Zarek patted him on the back condescendingly. "To the people of this fleet who lost everything to the Cylons, that image would be more than 'just a picture'." He smiled sinisterly. "It'd be a catalyst for revolution."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

"Why are you getting so upset about it?" Kara asked Lee as they walked down a corridor on the Greenleaf, a passenger carrier. "The guy doesn't have the picture. And it's been three days; we haven't heard anything about it on the wireless."

"People know about her, Kara." He replied as he held Laura in his arms. "It's been circulating through the fleet."

"It's been circulating through the fleet for a long time. Since the day she was born, since _before_ that. She's not exactly a secret." Kara stopped walking for a moment and placed her hand on his arm, stopping him as well. "Are we _trying_ to keep her a secret? Is that it?"

"No, Kara." He spoke to calm her. "It's just…… we don't really know how people will react to her. So we have to be careful."

"Careful?" She repeated in irritation, her voice getting loud. "So what are we gonna do, not acknowledge her existence? Keep her hidden in our quarters? Never take her off Galactica?"

Lee looked around the unfamiliar hallway. "Aren't we off Galactica _now_?"

"Don't you get _smart_ with me!" She hissed. She then saw Laura start to pout at her raised voice. "And don't make me yell at you while you're holding our child." She rubbed her temples in frustration. "This just doesn't make any sense, Lee. I mean ever since the day after the ceremony you've been all……………" She paused and looked at him carefully. "What aren't you telling me?"

Lee brushed a tiny lock of hair off Laura's head as she sucked on her thumb. "Nothing."

Kara narrowed her eyes. "Lee, did you enjoy what you and I did last night?"

His eyes widened at the bluntness of her question, but he nodded.

She smiled threateningly. "You ever want to do it again, you'll think twice before you try and keep secrets from me."

Lee looked away from her. "Kara, it's just—."

"Lee, come on. You can't do this to me."

Lee gulped and shut his eyes in resignation. "Alright." He opened them again and looked right at her. "When the guy with the camera got into the chapel, it wasn't because of shoddy security. He had a pass to be there."

Corporal Wilkes, who had been walking close by, guarding them, spoke up as she came to stand near them. "He's right, Captain Thrace."

"He had a press pass." Kara told them. "We know that, he showed it to us."

"He didn't get into the chapel with the press pass; press wasn't allowed in that day." Wilkes corrected. "He had a governmental aide pass, that's why we thought he was with the President's group."

"Only members of the government can give out those passes. Only a certain number are issued, and they're supposed to be logged in and out." Lee added. "Obviously the President hadn't given it to him."

Kara's heart dropped in her chest. "Zarek?"

"That's what Dad and I were thinking." Lee confirmed. "But if the guy got a pass, it wasn't directly from Zarek. Zarek doesn't _have _any passes to Galactica; his criminal record bars him from the ship."

"So Zarek must have gotten the pass from another Quorum delegate and then given it to the guy." Wilkes said. She then saw Kara's eyes glaze over in fear and worry. "Many people, even people on the Quorum, think that Zarek's been reformed."

"Or that he was never a criminal to begin with." Lee interjected. "They wouldn't necessarily think that he was up to no good if he asked to borrow one of their passes for the day. He gets the guy to sneak in, take what he hopes is an incendiary picture, then uses it to start some kind of uprising."

"We've tightened things up." Wilkes said as she gripped her gun. "We've issued new passes with barcodes on them. There's also gonna be a list, and only people who are on that list will have access to places where Laura is."

"But we can't really control other ships. So we have to be extra careful about taking her off Galactica." Lee's voice got low and hesitant. "At least until we can take care of things."

"What do you mean when you say 'take care of things'?" Kara asked softly as Corporal Wilkes stepped away again so that they could talk

"I think you know what I mean. Zarek is dangerous, even if all he's trying to do right now is manipulate the public." Lee told her. "But we made our bed when we kicked out Baltar; we have to lie in it for a while."

"Out of the frying pan, into the fire." Kara sighed as she took Laura's hand and kissed it.

"We'll keep looking for proof that Zarek is dirty, but he's good at covering his tracks." Lee reminded. "Dad, Billy and the President have been talking……… one way or another, Zarek won't be a problem for much longer."

"And you're willing to do that? Without second thoughts or regrets?" She asked, her face blank, her voice monotone.

"Yeah." Lee replied without hesitation. "Aren't you?"

She nodded firmly. "Yeah." She was quiet for a moment, then looked around and smirked. "So if we have to be 'extra careful' on other ships, why did we have to drop everything and come over to the Greenleaf?"

"Dad heard about something that they had here and thought it would be nice for Laura to see it. And when I found out what it was, I wholeheartedly agreed." He grinned as he pointed. "It's in the room at the end of this hall."

They walked to the door and when they opened it, they saw a woman sitting in a deep armchair. She looked up and smiled. "Captain Adama?" She asked as she rose to greet him, her hand outstretched.

"That's me." He took her hand and shook it.

"Admiral Adama told me that you'd be coming. You just missed a bunch of other kids who came to see them. But no one else will visit for awhile, as requested." She smiled. "They're over here." She walked to a corner of the room. "There are five of them."

Kara, Lee and Laura continued to stand by the door as the woman picked up a box from the corner and then brought it over to the middle of the room and put it on the floor. She then knelt down and picked up something small, furry and mewling from inside of it.

"Cats." Kara noted in surprise.

"Kittens, more accurately." Lee said, trying to hold onto Laura who was now squirming in his arms, pointing to the kittens.

"Lee, put her down." Kara told him. "She wants to walk over."

"No, I'll take her over. She can't really walk more than three steps without falling on her ass."

Kara laughed. "Well, neither can Tigh, but somehow he's allowed to be the X.O." She looked at Laura, who was now growing more restless. "Lee, if you don't put her down, in about two seconds she's gonna start crying and whining and then—."

Kara stopped talking and smirked arrogantly as Laura did just that.

"Okay, okay." Lee said as he put her down.

Laura toddled a few steps and then fell down. But her determination to play with the cute kittens made her get right back up again, shaking off the fall. She babbled happily as she reached the box, then clapped her hands and grinned up at Kara and Lee.

Lee looked at the scene and smiled. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kara examining him thoughtfully. He looked over at her fully and winked. "You find something about me interesting right now?"

"Numerous things," She told him. "But one thing in particular."

"What's that?"

She smiled. "A long time ago, Zak mentioned that you're allergic to cats."

"Highly allergic." He corrected. "Sneezing, hives, watery eyes………."

"But you're willing to—."

"Laura deserves to see some kittens." He said looking at Laura, a permanent smile on her face as she gently patted the head of the kitten that the woman held up for her. "And I'll stand right here, far away from the box, so that I don't get sick. But I wanted to see her face when she saw them."

For half an hour, Laura played with the kittens as Lee and Kara sat entwined with their backs against the wall, laughing as she crawled and toddled after the ones that scurried away from the box when she set them down on the floor. Even Corporal Wilkes laughed every now and then.

Lee looked at his watch, then reluctantly at Kara. "We gotta go. The shuttle is set to leave in five minutes."

The happiness fell from Kara's face and a frown began to form. "Lee, do you think that we—?"

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "I'll go see if it can wait an extra ten minutes."

Kara kissed him and he left the room. She then walked over to Laura and the cats.

"Hey, T.B." Kara said as she sat down on the floor next to Laura and the child got in her lap. "What you got there?"

"She likes that one the best." The cat lady told Kara as Laura handed her the brown and orange striped kitten that she had been playing with for the last five minutes. "She doesn't seem to want to let him go."

"Yeah, he's a cute one." Kara said as she and Laura both pet him.

The cat lady smiled at Laura. "Maybe he can be _your _kitty."

Kara looked up at her in surprise. "That's nice of you, but we live on Galactica and my husband's allergic, so I don't think—."

"I'm not really willing to separate them, so I wasn't _giving_ him to you. But she can always come back and play with him. Anytime she wants to."

Kara looked at the woman hesitantly. It was an incredibly nice offer. And suddenly, she wanted to tell her the truth. "Do you know who we are? Do you know who _she_ is?"

The woman nodded as she stroked another kitten that was lying asleep in her lap. "Yes." She then looked up at Kara and smiled. "And for some reason, I'm not afraid. These kittens were born around the same time she was, if the gossip that I hear is right. They're totally innocent and helpless, and they've brought me such happiness. And after what happened, I never thought I'd ever feel that again." She then chuckled when she saw Laura's kitten lick her cheek and the child's face froze as she tried to decide if she liked it or not. "So anytime she wants to come see her cat, that'd be fine with me."

Kara picked up the cat and looked at Laura. "Would you like that? You want this to be Laura's kitty?"

Laura's eyes got wide in excitement and she nodded as she patted the kitten's head.

"Okay." Kara said. "Well then what should we name him, huh? Fluffy? Mr. Meow? Whiskers? What should we name this little boy?"

Laura stood up in Kara's lap and laughed, kissing the cat. "Boy!" She squealed happily.

Kara froze, her heart stopped, and she had to remind herself to breathe. She let the kitten go and held onto Laura tightly.

The cat lady laughed. "That's quite simple, but it's a very good name, Laura. And it suits him too." She then looked over at Kara, who looked like she was about to faint. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kara choked out unconvincingly as she shut her eyes in upset. "That's just the first word she's ever said."

"Really." The lady gleamed as Laura got up and toddled after her cat across the carpet. "Oh, that's so sweet."

"Yeah." Kara whispered as she stood up. "Laura, you keep playing with Boy and I'll go check on Daddy." Kara started to the door. "Corporal, will you keep an eye on her?"

Corporal Wilkes nodded and Kara left the room.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to the wall on the opposite side of the hall. She braced her palms against it and then leaned over as she sucked in long, deep breaths. She then pressed her hand over her heart to try and subside the rapid beating.

"Hey." Lee called out from down the hall as he walked back to her. "We have seven more minutes, but after that, they'll leave our sorry asses behind." He laughed at his own comment, but he then grew concerned when he saw her obvious distress. "What's wrong, Kara?"

Kara turned around and leaned back against the wall. "Laura just said her first word."

"She did?" His obvious excitement shining through in his wide, proud smile. "What was it?"

"Boy."

He grew puzzled. "Why?"

Kara gestured back to the door as she closed her eyes again and bit her lip. "That's what she decided to name the cat."

He again noticed how saddened she was. "Why are you so upset?"

"Because she's five weeks old, Lee. Children who are five weeks old shouldn't be talking."

Lee took in a deep breath. "Yeah." He uttered as he let it back out. "But we can't let this—. We can't be afraid of this."

"I'm not afraid; at least I'm not afraid of _her_." Kara rubbed her forehead as a reluctant smile came on her face. "And I know that she's different every day, but at least when she couldn't talk to us I could let myself believe……….."

"What _are_ you afraid of?" He asked as he reached up to caress her cheek.

"What is she gonna tell us, Lee?" She whispered as a tear fell down the same cheek. "And what if we're not ready to hear it?"

* * *

"Look, you're a new recruit, so I'm gonna let a few things slide." Kara told the young man walking next to her down the corridor. "But you're starting to make me angry." 

Corporal Venner spoke up from where he was walking in front of them, shaking his head in amusement. "Man, don't make her angry."

The newbie started to stutter. "I just thought—."

"Ah, yes, well you see, there's the problem." Kara said, lifting up one hand to silence him as she held Laura in the other arm. The child was perched on her hip, sucking her thumb. "I don't remember telling you to think, I just remember telling you to do what I told you to do. And you didn't do it."

"If I can explain—."

Venner turned around to eye Kara and started to laugh at the young man, who was obviously only making it worse for himself.

Kara cut him off. "You can try to explain, but I gotta tell ya………I'm not _actually_ gonna listen. So you should probably just save your breath. I've been on shift for the last fourteen hours, but I'm off now. This is the first time I've seen my daughter since I put her to bed last night, and the only thing I'll really be able to do with her _tonight_ is put her to bed, since it's already………..." She looked at her watch. "20:15"

The recruit looked at her naively. "So I'll just let you go and I'll talk to you about this tomorrow?"

Kara shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. "NO. You'll just let me go. End of sentence. I know you think you've got some new, innovative maneuver or technique that will change the way we view aviation. But since you've only been flying for about twenty seconds, chances are you'll probably just get yourself killed." Kara pointed down the hallway and Laura's tiny hand mimicked her. "I'm gonna continue down this corridor now. Why don't you head in the other direction?"

The young man got the message and walked away. Corporal Venner chuckled and then moved back to walk beside Kara and Laura. "Have you seen Captain Adama today?" He asked her.

"Who is this Captain Adama person that you speak of?" She joked as Venner laughed. "It's been about forty-eight hours since I've _really_ seen him. But he came to the briefing room four hours ago to tell me that he'd dropped Laura off with Tyrol."

"Ohhhhhhhhhh." Venner said suspiciously.

"You were guarding her when she was with the Chief, right?" She asked. He nodded in the affirmative. "Did he take her to the flight deck?"

"No, of course not." He replied without hesitation.

"Are you lying to me?"

"A little bit, yeah." He also replied without hesitation. "She seems to enjoy being there."

Kara laughed. "She's _literally_ had Viper and Raptor parts hanging over her head since the day after we got her, so I guess I really can't expect her to stay away from them." She kissed Laura's head. "She didn't get into anything, did she?"

Venner looked surprised. "No, the Chief never put her down."

"The whole time? Are you kidding me?"

"Nope." Venner answered. "Can she really walk around now?"

"DOWN." Laura ordered as she squirmed in Kara's arms.

Kara laughed as she deposited the child on the floor. "I guess you're about to find out."

Laura stood where she was for about two seconds to get her footing, then started cruising down the hallway on chubby, little legs.

"Wow, that's amazing. The last time I saw her, it was very touch and go."

"Yeah, well—." Kara stopped talking as she and Venner both ran to catch up with her. Kara came up behind Laura and took both of her hands in hers, guiding her. She looked down at the top of Laura's head. "Gotta give Mommy a second to catch up, T.B."

Laura giggled happily and Kara and Venner both laughed too. Then they were suddenly interrupted by another voice.

"Hello, Captain Thrace."

Kara looked up, straight into the examining eyes of Gaius Baltar. He stood before them in the middle of the hallway. His eyes then turned to Laura.

"My, she's grown considerably. It's almost hard to believe that she's the same child that I saw in sickbay just………….what was it, less than six weeks ago?" Baltar nodded to himself. "I haven't seen very much of her. But of course, you've been very busy."

"We've also been avoiding you." Kara told him coldly as Laura hid behind her leg.

"What humiliation, Gaius." Six whispered in his ear as she soothingly caressed his neck. "Scouring the corridors just for the possibility of an 'impromptu' meeting with your own child." Six then knelt down to gaze adoringly at Laura as she peeked out from behind Kara's leg, chewing on her own hand in fear. "She's so beautiful, our precious little girl."

Kara's hand reached back to caress the top of Laura's head in a protective gesture. "I thought you were on Cloud Nine, why did you come back to Galactica?"

"Cloud Nine was just a sabbatical. I'm back on Galactica because this is where my lab is. And my scientific work is the most important thing to me. After all, it's the reason that I gave up the Vice-presidency."

Kara smirked mockingly. "It's kinda sweet that you still let yourself think that, Doctor."

Baltar just smiled back at her callously before looking down to the child tucked behind her leg. "Hello, Laura." He said to her in a creepily sweet voice.

"Mama." Laura cried up at Kara as her face distorted in fright.

Kara sprung into action. She pulled Laura out from behind her and picked her up. "It's okay." Kara told her as she bounced her in her arms, staring daggers at Baltar the whole time. "We're leaving." She sneered at Baltar and walked away. Venner looked Baltar over disapprovingly and then quickly followed.

Baltar watched them leave. "I'd like to think she was calling _you_ Mama just then." He smiled as he turned back to Six.

Six also looked at Kara and Laura as they walked away. "She wasn't." Six told him, also smiling forbodingly. "But she will. Soon."

Kara kept walking with Laura in her arms and Venner right beside them. Then Venner suddenly stopped.

"You missed the turn to your quarters." He told her, pointing toward the turn in the hall that they had just passed.

"What?" Kara asked, coming out of her daze. Her eyes glanced to where Venner was pointing. "Oh, okay." She turned around to head in that direction. "I'm sorry, it just threw me."

"Is she okay?" He questioned, looking at Laura in concern.

"Yeah, she's fine." Kara answered, checking her over.

"Was that the first time she ever called you that?"

"First time she ever called me _what_?" Kara asked, not knowing what he was talking about as she wiped away the wetness on Laura's face.

Venner grinned. "She called you Mama."

Kara looked up at him in surprise. "She did?" She then looked back at Laura and smiled. "Did you just call me Mama?"

Laura smiled and nodded at her. "Mama." She then put her head down on Kara's shoulder.

* * *

The next day, four pilots sat in Galactica's rec room, playing cards. Two were from Galactica, two were transfers from Pegasus. One of the Pegasus pilots, Garris, spoke up as the hands were dealt. 

"They just confirmed it in the Colonial faith, can you believe that?"

"It's an insult." Whitaker, the other Pegasus guy, replied.

"My grandfather was a priest." Garris added. "He'd be totally disgusted."

"Then he wasn't a very good priest." Racetrack interjected, glaring at him. "Was he?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Garris sneered.

"Let's just play." Kat sighed as she looked at her cards.

"Fine." Garris replied, smiling angrily at Racetrack. He then turned back to Whitaker with the intention of getting the Galactica pilots riled up. "You know why they allowed it to live, don't you?"

"Why?"

"Because the toaster kid's a girl." Garris laughed. "And the Adamas are both totally whipped. Think about it: Commander Adama—."

"_Admiral_ Adama." Kat corrected harshly.

"Adama and Apollo both let Roslin and Thrace get off scot-free after they commited mutiny. Why? Because they've got a soft heart when it comes to girls."

Racetrack snorted in disgust. "Yeah well, we know nobody on Pegasus has that problem."

Garris brushed off the comment. "Roslin doesn't know what she's doing…………"

"She doesn't need to." Whitaker added coldly. "She'll be dead soon anyway."

"……….and Thrace is their golden child, gets away with almost anything. And why do you think that is?"

"Because she's the best at what she does." Kat defended, clearly growing tired of the ignorant jabs.

"And what exactly does she _do_ for the Adamas?" Garris winked insultingly. "It's beyond twisted. She's not that hot, so they must just get some kinda sick thrill knowing that every guy in their family has had her."

Kat dropped her cards on the table and sat back in her chair. "You know, I _was_ just attempting to ignore you and play cards, but all the hot air you're putting out is making it way too sweltering in here."

"The Adamas are the root of the illness, and they've got everyone on Galactica infected." Garris sneered. "You all think that if you take care of the toaster kid, you'll be some kinda white-hats; going around saving the world with some fraked-up version of love and honor and compassion. But that kid is the enemy. And you seem to have forgotten who the enemy is."

"We're not white-hats." Kat corrected. "Because there is no frakking black and white. It's all gray."

"And the enemy is anybody who puts our guys in danger." Racetrack added. "Anybody. No matter if they're shiny……………or if they bleed."

"I'd kill to be back on Pegasus." Whitaker hissed under his breath. "Cain would never allow this."

"Oh, shut the frak up." Racetrack shouted. "Cain wouldn't give a damn because she'd be too concerned about the gaping hole in her forehead that she got because she _crossed the damn line_. Cain was a frakking idiot. She tried to outthink, outmaneuver and outgun the Cylons. Which is just beyond stupid, because it's never gonna happen. You've gotta be sneaky about it. And the only advantage we have is that we _feel_, _really feel_. If all you put out is calculated death and destruction, they'll beat you every time; because they're _better_ at it. And you'll end up dead." Racetrack smiled callously. "Just like Cain."

Garris sat up in his chair and put his elbows on the table, narrowing his eyes at Racetrack and Kat. "I swear to the gods, if I'm ever in the same room with that toaster kid—."

"I suggest you be quiet." Kat smiled warningly.

"Why?" Whitaker pouted mockingly. "Because it'll hurt your feelings?"

"No." A voice answered from behind them. "Because _I _heard what you said."

The two men rose from their chairs and came to attention as Colonel Tigh walked to stand in front of them.

"Every frakking word." Tigh finished simply.

"Sir, we were just—."

"Oh, I heard you." Tigh smiled furiously. "And I let it go………….right up to the point that you threatened that child."

"But, sir. Surely you don't think—?"

"Forget that if Apollo heard you, he'd put you in hack. Forget that if Starbuck heard you, she'd put you in sickbay. Forget all that, because I really don't care about either one of them." Tigh got right up in Garris's face. "But remember this: if the Old Man were to ever hear you threaten his granddaughter, it would upset him." Tigh patted him on the shoulder. "And that would cause _me_ to put you in the morgue."

"Yes sir." Garris and Whitaker both said simultaneously.

"Good." Tigh stepped back. "Report to the CAG's office first thing tomorrow for your transfer orders. You miss your ship so much; we won't keep you from it." He nodded to Racetrack and Kat and then left the room.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Kara walked to Admiral Adama's office and smiled as she greeted the guard outside the door. "Hi. They inside?"

Corporal Townsend nodded and Kara entered the room. "Madam President?" She asked in surprise when she saw Roslin sitting on the couch.

"Oh, hello, Captain Thrace." She replied as she looked up at Kara.

"What are you doing here? The Admiral was supposed to be watching Laura."

"He was, but there was an issue in CIC that he needed to take care of. I had just dropped by to speak to him, so he asked if I would watch her for a minute."

"How long ago was that?" Kara asked.

"About half an hour ago." Roslin laughed as she stood up gingerly. "I know as well as anyone that the problems leaders face don't usually take only 'a minute' to resolve."

"Madam President, I'm so sorry. If I had known that, I would have left my shift early. Babysitting is certainly not on the list of presidential duties."

"I don't mind really." Roslin smiled sincerely, but weakly. "We've actually been having a lovely time."

"Where's Laura?"

"She's right over there." Roslin pointed to an empty spot in the room. "_Was_ over there, I seem to have lost her again. She certainly does keep you on your toes, doesn't she? I don't know how you slow her down enough to get her to go to sleep."

Kara chuckled. "Usually by the end of the day, she's exhausted from all the running around she does. But even when she's not, she can't go anywhere because of the bars on her crib."

"I see." Roslin laughed in response.

"Except…………… she's learned how to climb out of it now."

Just then, Kara saw a little body run out from under the Admiral's desk and hide behind the sofa.

"I see you." Kara teased as she walked over to Laura and looked down at the giggling child. "You think you can hide from me?"

Laura let out a happy shriek of surprise and clapped her hands when the President came up behind her and lifted her into her arms.

But suddenly, Roslin's face got very white. "Oh lords." She exhaled as her stance began to falter.

Kara saw her losing her hold on the child. She grabbed Laura and put her down on the floor next to the sofa, then took the President's arm and led her to sit. She went to the console to pour a glass of water, then walked back and handed it to Roslin.

"Thank you." The President rasped softly when she took the water and drank some as Kara sat down next to her. "Sometimes I forget that I can't do the things I used to do."

Laura had wandered over to the desk again and was climbing up into her grandpa's chair.

"I'm sorry if she was too much for you." Kara sighed apologetically.

"No, she wasn't." Roslin corrected firmly. "Truthfully, she only started to get rambunctious the last five minutes. The rest of the time, she was content drawing on the Admiral's paperwork and playing with the stapler."

"The stapler?" Kara asked in sudden concern.

"Don't worry." Roslin calmed her. "I took the staples out."

Laura must have heard them say the word 'stapler', because she picked up the item and brought it over, presenting it to her mother. "Thank you." Kara laughed as she took it from her. "You really are easily amused, aren't you, T.B?"

Roslin laughed too as Laura pouted and then quickly grabbed it back. "By the way, Captain Thrace, I know what those initials stand for." She said with teasing disapproval. "And let me add my displeasure to the chorus at you using that particular nickname."

Kara smiled as she hung her head. "Yeah, it started out as a joke. But I'll have to stop using it soon; before she's old enough to know what it means and doesn't realize that it's a term of endearment." Kara's smile dropped when she looked up and saw how the glass shook in Roslin's hand as she took another sip. "I'm sorry that you had to look after her. None of us meant for you to be this exhausted."

"No. It's not her." Roslin told her. "I just haven't been having a good day today."

"You haven't been having a lot of those lately." Kara whispered. "You hide it pretty well, but we're all beginning to notice."

Roslin set down the glass on the coffee table. "It won't be long now." Roslin said sadly as Kara turned her head away. She then looked down to Laura who was opening and closing the stapler over and over again. "Will you do something for me?"

"I can try." Kara answered as she took Laura in her lap.

"I know you'll take care of Laura, that isn't even a concern of mine." Roslin began. "But will you take care of Captain Apollo and the Admiral too? Not only because I worry about them, but because—." She looked right at Kara. "This whole thing only works if you're a family."

Kara took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "I can do that." She then looked down to the top of Laura's head. "In return, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." The President nodded.

"The day Laura was born; you said that she would save us, that she would help us. And then at the confirmation, Father Monseau said some things that got me wondering…………" She took a deep breath to try and quell her anxiety. "Is she gonna _do_ something?"

"Of course she is." Roslin said simply as Laura left Kara's lap and moved onto hers. "Look at what she's already done for all of us."

"No, I know that." Kara corrected. "I know that she's brought us together, made it possible for us to feel this way again. Trust me; nobody knows that she's done that more than me."

"But…………?" Roslin questioned cautiously as she wrapped her arms around the child.

"But there isn't anything more to it, is there?" Kara reached over and took Laura's hand as the child let her head fall back on the President's shoulder. "She doesn't have superpowers, does she? It's not like she'll save the world with a flick of the wrist or the wink of an eye? I mean, she doesn't have some divine, ultimate purpose, right?"

Roslin smiled serenely. "Love is your daughter's only purpose, Kara. And no, there isn't anything more to it."

Kara's eyes widened. "Do you realize that's the first time you've ever called me Kara, Madam President?"

Roslin laughed as her hand brushed over Laura's brown hair. "It seemed like a first name moment."

"I agree." Kara smiled back. "I doubt it would've had the same emotional impact if you had called me Captain Thrace."

Roslin looked her right in the eye. "Do you think you could ever call me anything other than Madam President?"

"No, ma'am, I don't think so." She said simply. Then watching the President's face take on a mask of mock offense, she amended her reply. "Trust me, Madam President; it has nothing to do with my amount of respect."

Roslin smiled as her eyes gleamed with unshed, proud tears. "And trust _me_, Kara. It has _everything_ to do with your amount of respect."

Laura turned around to face the President and put a tiny hand on her chest. "Ow." The little girl said.

And the President nodded sadly.

* * *

"Do you really think it was a good idea to bring her here?" Tyrol asked Kara two days later as they checked out a malfunctioning nav system in one of the Vipers. 

"_You're_ gonna give me a lecture on bringing Laura to the flight deck?" Kara answered as she shot him a dirty look. "Really, Chief?"

"Point taken."

"We just gotta make sure that she doesn't get into anything dangerous." Kara added.

"Don't worry." Cally said as she knelt down to check the undercarriage. "I got rid of everything dangerous from the area."

"Um, yeah." Corporal Wilkes spoke up as she pointed to an object in Laura's hand. "I know I'm not familiar with all the equipment, but isn't that a detonator?"

Kara looked over to where Laura was sitting on top of a maintenance cart and her eyes got wide in shock. "Cally!"

"Relax. There are no explosives attached to it. It's harmless." Cally chuckled. "She just picked it up because it's shiny."

"Still," Kara hissed as she grabbed the object from Laura's fingers. "I'd rather she not grow up thinking she can play with things that make stuff explode."

Laura started to cry as she reached for the lost toy. "Ahhhhhhhh."

"Oh, I know. I know, sweetheart." Kara pouted at Laura in mock sympathy. "It's so hard to be a baby. It's so awful when mean old Mama takes away your explosive devices."

Laura began to scream and started kicking the sides of the cart. Her face was red and wet, and she rubbed her eyes in displeasure.

"What is this, huh? What is with the hissy fit?" Kara laughed as she looked Laura over. "You think if you cry and scream long enough that I'll give this back to you? Well, keep dreaming, little girl. You can throw the biggest temper tantrum ever and you're still not gettin' it back."

Laura whined as she pointed to the detonator. "Ahhhhh………mmmmmMama………mmmmmine, Mama."

"No, it's _not_ yours. Because you see this?" Kara raised the item for Laura to examine. "This makes things go boom. And I don't just mean little Laura go boom. I mean Mama go boom, Chief and Cally go boom, whole flight deck go boom. And then no more birdies." Kara pointed to the planes. "You don't want anything to happen to the birdies, do you?"

Laura pointed to the planes as well and shook her head. Her crying then ceased.

"Okay, just sit there and be a good girl." Kara kissed the top of her head. "I'll be done in five minutes." Kara held up her hand and spread her fingers to show Laura the number. Laura nodded and held up her hand too. "Cally, will you find something for her to play with? Preferably something that doesn't electrocute her, or have sharp edges……… or blow her up."

"Like what?" Cally asked.

"Frak, Cally. I don't know. The girl finds doorknobs entertaining; just give her a frakking flashlight."

"FRAK."

The small voice was instantly recognizable, but nobody really wanted to believe that it came from where it did.

Until they heard it again.

"FRAK."

Kara's whole body froze and her eyes got wide as saucers. "Did she just—?"

"Uh-huh." Cally answered as she stared at the child.

Kara came over to Laura and leaned down to look her square in the eye. "No, baby, don't say that. That's a bad word. And Mama's a _bad_ lady for teaching it to you, so don—."

"FRAK."

Kara groaned and Laura giggled at her mother's obvious frustration. Tyrol, Cally and Corporal Wilkes stood behind them and tried mightily (and unsuccessfully) to stifle their laughter.

Kara turned to them in irritation. "You think this is funny? This is not funny! The kid is gonna rat me out, and I'm gonna be in deep trouble. Not to mention that she'll be a toddler with the dirty mouth of a Picon whore."

"FRAK."

"Laura, stop saying frak! No more frak, frak is a _bad_ word."

Tyrol rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Maybe it would be better if you didn't keep _saying_ _the word_."

"And how exactly am I supposed to teach her to _not_ say frak if I can't say the _word_ frak?"

"FRAK." Laura giggled delightedly and clapped her hands. "Frakfrakfrak."

"Nice, Starbuck." Tyrol hissed. "_Real_ nice."

"Will you cut me some slack? I haven't had time to adjust to the fact that I can't cuss in front of her anymore!" Kara groaned loudly as she rubbed her eyes. "What am I gonna do? She's gonna keep saying it over and over again. It's what she does; every time she learns a new word she just keeps repeating it until you wanna rip your ears off. And when people hear her say it, they're gonna know she learned it from me! And then I might as well have 'Bad Mother' branded on my forehead."

"Soooooooooo." Cally interjected. "Teach her a new word."

* * *

"Hey!" Lee said happily from where he stood writing on the whiteboard when he saw Kara bring Laura into the briefing room. "There are my girls." 

Kara walked to the front of the room holding Laura's hand, helping her up the two steps that lead to the child's father. "We wanted to come see you."

"I'm glad." Lee leaned down to kiss Laura's forehead and then stood up to wrap his arm around Kara. "Where were you this morning? I woke up and you weren't there."

"The idiot CAG scheduled me for early morning CAP." She purred as she kissed the underside of his jaw.

"Well, I made sure that that doesn't happen for the rest of the week." He assured her. "I like waking up with you there." He then leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I especially like it when you wake me up in the special way that you did yesterday."

She chuckled lowly in her throat and traced his collar. "Make it _two _weeks without early CAP and I'll do it every morning."

He shook his head playfully. "As absolutely wonderful as that sounds, I can't. You'd be getting special treatment."

She kissed him and nibbled on his bottom lip. "You'd be getting it too."

"Yeah, but my special treatment wouldn't take place in front of other people." He muttered against her mouth as his hands snuck under her tank.

Kara turned her head and looked at Laura. "Speaking of 'in front of other people', she's watching us."

Lee pulled back from kissing her neck and noticed Laura watching them while she sucked her thumb. "Yeah, but she doesn't know what we're doing."

Kara laughed. "I wouldn't be so sure, she's very smart." Kara leaned down and picked Laura up. "We came to see you because I taught her to say your name."

"She already says my name." Lee said as he took Laura from her and into his arms. "She's been saying Dada all week, can't get her to stop."

"Uh-huh." Kara looked to Laura and pointed at Lee. "Who's that?"

Laura laughed and kissed Lee on the nose. "Apppollllloooo."

"Hey! She said Apollo, she said Apollo!" He almost shouted in excitement as his eyes lit up and he kissed Laura back. "That is really good, little Laura."

"That's three syllables right there, baby." Kara said as she stroked Laura's hair.

"Now I'll just have to teach her to say Starbuck." Lee laughed.

"No, you won't. And I'll hurt you if you do." She pointed at Lee. She then reached in to tickle Laura's stomach. "My name is Mama."

Laura giggled and Lee and Kara joined in too.

"Son?"

They all turned to see the Admiral standing in the hatchway.

"Hey, Dad, you gotta hear this." Lee grinned as Adama walked to them. "Kara taught Laura to say my callsign."

Adama smiled sadly and caressed Laura's cheek. "You're a good girl, Laura."

"Admiral, what's wrong?" Kara whispered, seeing the agonized look on his face.

Adama looked up from the child's face. "It's happening." He told them. "Kara, you need to stay here with Laura." He then turned to face Lee fully. "But you and I need to go to Colonial One, right away."

Lee's happiness disintegrated when he realized what his father was talking about and he took in a shuddering breath. "Colonial One? Why isn't she coming to Galactica?"

"Because she wants to stay on her own ship."

"But if she's here, Cottle can—." Lee began.

"There'd be nothing Cottle could do anyway. This is happening, Lee. We can't stop it." Adama sighed. "Cottle's gonna go over with us, but it'll just be so that he can set her up to where she'll be comfortable. She wouldn't even listen when we suggested that she leave Colonial One."

"So she's conscious?" Kara asked softly.

"Yes." The Admiral answered as he stroked Laura's cheek again. "But according to Cottle, she'll only last a few more hours."

* * *

Two days later, Lee Adama stepped off the shuttle in Galactica's hangar with the intense desire to go home. Not to the quarters that he shared with two other people, but to the two other people. _They_ were his real home. 

Corporal Venner nodded somberly to Lee when he saw him walking down the corridor. "Captain Adama, it's good to see you."

"Thank you, Corporal." Lee nodded back. He then gestured to the door that Venner had been guarding. "They've been okay?"

"Yeah, they've been just fine."

Lee opened the hatch and stepped through. He paused for a second as his eyes adjusted to the only light in the room: the small lamp on the desk. He put his bag down on the floor,then heard the door to their bedroom open.

"Lee?"

Lee turned around and took her in his arms. She let her hands drift up to cup his face.

"Kara." He breathed her name reverently as she softly kissed his lips.

She pulled back from him reluctantly. "Is she—?"

Lee sighed as he shut his eyes in pain. "No. Not yet."

"Gods." She whispered back sadly. "I thought Cottle said she'd only last a few hours; it's been two days."

"She's been holding on." He replied as he touched her cheek. "I have to go back, but I had to see you; you and Laura."

"Laura's taking her nap." Kara gestured to the couch.

"Why didn't you put her in her—?" But he stopped when his gaze fell on the couch and he saw _why_ Laura wasn't in her crib.

She didn't fit in it anymore. The toddler that he had left two days ago had been replaced by a little girl that looked to be about three and a half years old. Her body had lost its chubbiness and her brown hair was now down to her mid-neck.

"Gods, Kara." He said as he knelt beside the couch, looking at his daughter. "When the hell did this happen?"

"Yesterday morning. She came into our room and got in bed with me. I just thought she'd climbed out of her crib and came in there because she missed you. I was half-asleep so I didn't really notice." Kara sighed as her fingers traced over the worry line that had formed on her forehead. "She doesn't fit in her crib anymore, so we donated it back to the fleet. Tigh's requisitioned another bed for her. It should be here by tomorrow."

"It's still her." He whispered to himself in affirmation.

Kara smiled slightly. "Yeah, Lee. It's still her." She came up to stand behind him and rubbed his shoulders. "Wake her up."

"No." He said gently. "I don't wanna bother her."

"She'll go right back to sleep. But she's been asking about you." Kara leaned down and touched Laura's check. "Laura?"

Laura's eyes came open slowly, and instantly Lee was calmed as he saw the familiar, amazing blue of them. "Why you woke me up, Mama?"

"Hey, baby." Lee answered for Kara.

"Daddy." She yawned as she realized that he was there with her. She sat up and wrapped her arms around him.

"How's my girl, huh?" He asked as he kissed her hair.

"Missed you lots." She lay back on the couch and rubbed her eyes. "Home now, Daddy?"

Lee smiled. "Just for a little while." He put the blanket back over her. "But go back to sleep. I promise I'll still be here when you wake up."

"Promise?" Laura sighed sleepily.

"I promise. And then we can—." He stopped when he heard her gentle, subdued breathing and new that she had resumed her nap. He stood up and walked over to Kara, who was at the sink, rinsing out a glass. "She's talking now too?"

Kara didn't look at him. "She was talking before you left."

"She was saying Mama and Dada and Boy and down and mine—."

"And boat. Don't forget boat." Kara added.

"And boat for some reason that I've never been able to figure out." He pressed himself against Kara's back and she relaxed into him. "She wasn't speaking in complete sentences."

"Well, she had quite a growth spurt while you were gone." She replied with a hint of sadness as she rubbed the arm that he had wrapped around her. "And not just physically. But don't worry, Cottle said she's fine."

Lee exhaled guiltily. "I shouldn't have stayed away so long."

She turned around in his arms and traced his hairline. "Don't do that, Lee. Laura and I know why you had to go there. And we both love you for doing it."

He released her and walked a few steps to where he could glimpse Laura again.

"When do you have to go back?" Kara asked him.

"I should head back in a few hours." He answered not looking at her.

"Laura will be asleep for at least another hour." She said as she walked to him. "So……….what do you wanna do until she wakes up?"

* * *

He had her thrown against the wall of their bedroom faster than she thought was humanly possible. He pulled her shirt over her head and devoured her mouth with his own. 

"Oh gods, Lee." She moaned between kisses. "I love it when……..mmm…..you answer my……..mmmmm…….questions this way." She tore open his uniform jacket and saw a button fly across the room. She groaned. "Sorry."

"Screw it." He rasped as he worked on the zipper of her pants, looking at her with hungry eyes."So, how's my _other_ girl?"

Kara bit into the skin of his shoulder. "She missed you lots too."

"Yeah?" He whispered as he licked a path up her neck to her ear. "Show me."

She pushed back from the wall and the sudden movement caused Lee to stagger backwards a few steps. When he recovered, he grinned lustfully and playfully fell onto the bed. She grinned back and joined him there.

An hour later, when her breathing somewhat returned to normal, Kara spoke as she rolled off her back to kiss Lee's chest. "Gods, I can't believe we wasted a whole hour doing _that_."

He laughed breathily at her obvious joke. "I know, we could've been playing cards or going over flight rosters."

"Or knitting."

"And now we'll never……….ever…………" He teased as he kissed her neck and moved down to her collarbone. "Get that lost time back."

Kara chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair, lightly scraping her nails across his scalp. He moaned sleepily at the relaxing ministration and closed his eyes as he let out a comforted sigh.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

His eyes opened again and he nodded silently.

"I know it must've been hard, seeing the President like that."

"It was fine at first." He told her. "She was the same as she has always been, just…….weaker. _Smaller_ even. She talked to Dad and Billy and me for a while, about things that we needed to know, things that needed to be taken care of. And that was hard, but I was okay with it."

"Until?" Kara whispered.

"She lost lucidity around the thirteenth hour. And when that happened, even though I knew that I couldn't bring myself to leave, I could barely stand to be in the same room with her."

"Why?" Kara questioned as she traced his bottom lip.

"Because she started talking nonsense: prophecies, scripture, destiny. That godsdamn priest was there, making it worse." He pulled her finger away from his lip so that he could bite it in agony. "And she started rambling about the Arrow of Apollo again."

"Gods, Lee." Kara whispered as she kissed him soothingly. "I'm so sorry."

"It made my heart hurt, Kara. She put so much faith into that stupid motherfrakking piece of metal, and it let her down. That was supposed to be the reason that she was dying, so that she could lead us to Earth. That was the reason that _you_ put your life on the line, going to Caprica. So that you could bring us the frakking thing. _And it was all for nothing_. Because even if we could _get _to the Lagoon Nebula, there's no guarantee that it would lead us to Earth. But we can't even _find_ the Lagoon Nebula from where we are. And it was our only frakking clue."

"We'll keep looking." Kara assured him.

"But we won't find it." He stated firmly. "Do you have any idea how big the galaxy is? If you want to find something, a planetarium exhibit and an arcane book of scripture is not enough. You need coordinates, vectors, points of reference."

"So we won't find Earth." She said simply as she wrapped her arms around him. "That doesn't mean that we'll be lost forever. We'll find some other planet, settle there. Roslin promised us salvation, Lee. And everyone assumed that meant Earth, but what if it just meant somewhere safe that we could start over again?" She took a cleansing breath. "I don't know, Lee. I just have this feeling that we're gonna be okay. And it's been a long time, even before the end of the world, since I've felt that way."

He felt the soft strands of her hair in his fingers. "_You're_ the only thing that makes me feel that way." He told her. She raised her head to look in his eyes. "I wish I had your faith."

She smiled slightly. "That's okay. I have enough for all of us." She laid her head back down on his chest. "And so does the President. She has faith; she trusts that something will show us the way."

"Mama?" They heard Laura's voice call from outside the door. "I'm up from my nap now."

"Okay, baby." Kara called back. "We'll be right out." She turned to Lee as she got out of bed and tossed him his sweatpants. "Get dressed. I don't want her to be scarred for life because she saw her naked, and clearly post-coital, parents tangled up in the bed sheets in the middle of the afternoon."

"Can I have some water, Mama?" Laura called out again.

"Yeah, Laura." Lee answered back as he finished putting on his clothes and opened the door to walk out. "I'll get it for you."

Kara finished getting dressed and then made sure that the bed was made before she went back out into the living area. She saw Lee sitting on the floor with Laura in his lap. The child was holding her Aerilon Chiefs bear and laughing as Lee picked up the toy learning shapes that Gaeta had gotten for her from the nursery on the Rising Star.

"What's this color?" He asked her as he picked up a blue circle.

"Blue." Laura answered.

"Are you sure it's blue?" He teased. "Are you sure it's not yellow, or red, or purple?"

"Yeah, it's blue." Laura laughed as she reached up and pulled on his eyelids. "Just like _that's_ blue."

"That's right. My eyes are blue, same as yours." He chuckled. He then picked up the green square and held it against the circle. "Does this fit into this?"

"No, Daddy." Laura giggled. "You can't make a square fit into a circle."

"Wow. That's really good, little Laura." He looked up at Kara and smirked. "I've been trying to teach Mama that for years."

"Ha Ha." Kara rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

They were then interrupted by the ringing phone, and Kara and Lee locked gazes.

It must have rung for a good ten seconds. Neither one wanted to move to get it, but finally they realized that they had to. Kara was still standing, so she went to answer it, and Lee went back to playing with Laura.

Kara held the phone to her ear. "This is Captain Thrace……….I see………..Yes, he's here………Sure…………I'll let him know………..Thank you." She hung up the phone and stayed with her back to him for several moments. But then she finally turned around.

Lee looked at her, and he knew. "Yeah?" He whispered.

She nodded and walked over, kneeling beside them on the floor. "Twenty minutes ago. You're father was with her."

"She'd lost consciousness about five hours before I left, did she ever—?"

"She never woke up, Lee." Kara stroked his hair. "She didn't feel anything."

"The President's gone away." Laura said as she clutched her bear tighter. "Hasn't she, Daddy?"

"Yeah, baby." Lee looked down at the blue and green shapes in his hands. "The President's gone away."

TBC

_I know, I killed Roslin._ _I'm a bastard. Please don't hurt me._


	9. Chapter 9

"_Two days after the entire fleet mourned the passing of President Laura Roslin at the massive memorial service heldin the garden of Cloud Nine—democracy showed us that it does not stand still, as her recently instated Vice President William Keikeya was sworn in as President under the 18th amendment of the Articles of Colonization, which guarantees the Presidential line of succession."_

Cally listened half-heartedly as Playa Palacio's voice came in over the wireless radio that she had on as she double-checked the post-flight lists of the Vipers in the bay.

She hadn't known President Roslin well, few people did. Nice lady; dedicated and with a good sense of humor. She took a deep, centering breath as she remembered the President's little joke about smashing one of the few remaining bottles of champagne over the wing of the newly constructed Blackbird.

Since the President's death, Cally had been overcome by sadness. But the sadness she felt was not about her personal loss. It was about the lost feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, the feeling that told her that Laura Roslin had given them more than water rations; she had given them hope. And the sadness she felt was also about the pain she saw on the faces of the few people that _had_ known the President well.

"_Tom Zarek was also instated this afternoon as the Vice President. His brief statement was heralded by some as a call for détente between his faction that wants aggressive overhaul of the status quo, and those who seek to preserve at all costs the government and civilization that existed before the holocaust."_

The lost feeling in the pit of Cally's stomach was eclipsed by a truly nauseated one when she heard Tom Zarek's voice come over the airwaves.

"_I see this day as the dawn of a new beginning for our people. Hopefully, two days ago we said goodbye not only to our beloved leader, but also to the stagnant way in which we believed we must carry over the values that were enforced on us by the society of the Twelve Colonies. It is no secret that President Roslin and I did not have similar views…………….."_

Cally laughed out loud at the huge understatement.

"………………_but our diverging beliefs on the direction that we felt the fleet must take to ensure survival were not greater than the belief that the fleet must, at all costs, survive. In that same vein, I am willing to put aside my differences with the brave guardians of the fleet. And I hope to one day become great friends with those most identified as our protectors. Indeed, my respect for Admiral Adama grows; much like his family has grown ……………..bigger and bigger everyday."_

"Uh-oh." Cally muttered to herself as she turned off the radio. "Cat's outta the bag now."

She couldn't find it in her to care that Zarek's words would be enough for the as-yet-to-be-verified truth of Laura's existence to finally be confirmed. But she did make a mental note to catch the video feed of Zarek's speech. She could only imagine the scalding look the Admiral must have given Zarek as he sat behind the podium.

Cally had seen that look before. 'The Adama Death Glare' they called it. She was surprised Zarek hadn't burst into flames.

The long chuckle that she allowed herself was interrupted by the sound of a plane being powered up.

"What the—?" She turned around and ran to the other side of the bay, but stopped when she saw an armed marine standing close by. "I didn't think anyone was—."

She then looked up at the cockpit of the plane in question and saw Captain Adama's head sticking out of it.

"Sorry, Cally." He told her. "My fault, button got pushed by mistake."

Cally started up the ladder. "Captain, sir, you've never pushed a button by mistake for as long as I've kn—." She stopped and smiled as she saw that he was not alone. A brown-haired, blue-eyed little girl was sitting in his lap.

"Hi, Cally." Laura grinned up at her.

Cally was floored by how much the grin resembled the famous Starbuck grin. "Hello, Laura." She smiled back.

"Okay, new rule:" Lee said looking down at his daughter. "You don't touch the button unless I tell you to."

"Okay, Daddy." Laura then pointed to another knob. "What's this do?"

"That's for the auto-pilot, that's what we push when we want the plane to fly itself."

"Why would you want a machine to do what a person can do?" Laura asked innocently.

"I'll leave you two alone." Cally said as she turned around to head back down the ladder. When she got to the bottom, she saw Starbuck and Dee walking onto the flight deck. Cally met them in the middle.

"I've been looking for those two." Kara laughed as she gestured to the plane. "Shoulda known they'd be here." Kara walked up and climbed the ladder. "Hey." She smiled at them.

"Hi, Mama." Laura smiled back. "Daddy's teaching me to fly."

Kara snorted. "Yeah, uh-huh, over my dead body."

"Did you come to fly too?" Laura asked her mother.

"No." Lee answered in response. "Mama's here because it's way past your bedtime."

"Not sleepy." Laura said simply as she tapped the O2 sensor.

"I'm sorry." Kara chuckled. "Were you under the impression that little girls only had to go to bed when they were sleepy?"

Laura thought for a moment. "If I go now and don't cause any trouble, can I get a bedtime story?"

"I can do you one better." Kara smiled. "If you go now, I think you can even finagle Grandpa into reading it to you."

"Okay." Laura said as she climbed out of the cockpit.

Kara hoisted her out and down the ladder. "Dee will take you to Grandpa, I'm gonna stay and talk to Daddy."

Laura reached the floor and Dee held out her hand. "Come on, sweetheart."

Laura took it and they started to walk away. "Can we stop by my house and get the book that Father Monseau gave me?"

"Sure." Dee smiled as they went through the door followed by the guard. "I think we can do that."

Kara watched them leave and climbed back up the ladder to gaze at her husband. "We didn't know where the two of you were." She stated softly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, looking at her lovingly. "I just wanted to spend some time with her."

"I'm glad." Kara replied as she broke his gaze sadly. "I was afraid that you'd be scared of her. Since, you know……………….she isn't the same as before you left."

"Were _you_ scared of her?" He asked, also not looking at her as he traced the O2 sensor that Laura had just touched.

"No." She answered firmly, looking back to him.

"Then you know better than that." He said, locking gazes with her again. "You're my other half. I don't feel anything that you don't feel."

"Then you should know that it runs both ways." She replied as she laid a hand on his arm. "I'm feeling what you're feeling right now." She closed her eyes. "And I'm feeling what your father is feeling right now too. I feel how much the President's absence is affecting you both."

Lee bit his lip and let his chin fall to his chest. "Do you know what he said to me when I told him that we named our daughter Laura?"

"No."

"He said: Laura Adama. I've always liked the way that sounds."

"Gods." Kara muttered under her breath.

"Why didn't I realize that about them?" He let his head fall back on the headrest. "Why didn't I realize that they felt that way about each other?"

"Well." She shrugged. "They did have some monumental disagreements."

He looked at her mischievously. "So did you and I."

Kara smiled in return. "In all fairness, Lee, I don't think _they_ realized that about them." She added. "But just because you don't realize something, that doesn't mean that it's not there. That doesn't mean that you don't feel it on some level."

"We would know about that." He smirked.

She gently traced his collar with her fingertips. "You were squeezing my hand so tight at the memorial service." She teased him. "I'm glad I decided not to go to the swearing-ins. The bones in my fingers would have been crushed during Zarek's speech."

"Stupid frakker." Lee rasped out. "Billy's just waiting for the fallout. Things are gonna be rough for a while."

Kara grinned the grin that had just been on Laura's face minutes before. "We've been through worse." She then got serious again. "What are we gonna say when the people in the fleet start asking about her?"

He shrugged. "Don't know."

She took his hand. "We'll just have to feel our way through it."

He entwined their fingers and looked to his lap. "I'm sorry I was so distant during and after the memorial. It's just Father Monseau and his frakking—."

"You need to get over this resentment that you feel toward him, Lee." She warned as she let out a rough breath. "He didn't cause any of this."

"Kara, it was just—. All the things he said." Lee sighed as he began to quote the priest. "_Laura Roslin is now at peace. She had done all she needed to do, and the gods saw fit to bring her home."_

"What was he supposed to say?"

"The truth." He replied. "How's a leader supposed to rest in peace when she didn't _lead_ her people _anywhere_?"

"Maybe the truth is that she _did_ lead us somewhere." Kara countered. "Look at where she led you and me. We wouldn't have what we have if she hadn't pushed us in that direction." Kara breathed deep. "And maybe she's at peace because she knew that what she did was all part of something bigger. I think she knew that the universe had a plan. Maybe she's at peace because she did her part, and she trusts that the people she loved will see the rest through."

Lee stared at Kara in adoring awe for several moments. "Can I just say that I love you?" He chuckled softly when he could find the words to accurately express what he felt. "And can you just remember that no matter what………….that's never gonna change?"

"Understood, Captain." She saluted as her eyes reflected the same adoration. "Get outta that cockpit and let's go home. Your dad will have someone bring Laura back when she's fallen asleep."

* * *

"_And a curse was set which stated that the twins of Zeus could never be brought forth on any firm land that had been touched by the sun. To circumvent the curse, the king of the gods raised a floating island from the dark depths of the ocean, so that he might see his children. Artemis came to the island first, and seeing as how she was born fully grown, helped Apollo be born. She then carried her brother to their father and laid him at Zeus's feet."_

"That's a good story." Dee grinned, looking over to the couch where the Admiral was lying with Laura tucked in the crook of his arm.

Adama looked up from the book that he had been reading and rolled his eyes at Dee over the rim of his glasses. "She was supposed to have been asleep by now."

"Keep reading, Grandpa." Laura yawned.

"Story's over, little girl." Adama told her as he closed the book.

"So read me another one." Laura replied as she opened it back up.

"He's already read you _three_." Dee pointed out as she straightened the papers on the Admiral's desk.

"Yeah." Laura giggled. "But he kept saying all the names wrong."

"Did not." Adama pouted in mock-insult.

"Uh-huh, did too." Laura said as she pointed to certain passages. "Here, you said that it was _Heffius_ that built Artemis and Apollo their chariots, but it was actually Hephaestus." She turned the page and showed him another. "And the _Aloadae_ were the angry giants that Apollo shot with flaming arrows when they tried to storm Mt. Olympus…………..you called them the BOB's, Grandpa. That's not their names."

"Forgive me." He smiled as Dee laughed from across the room. "You are, of course, right. Grandpa's tired and he didn't quite know how to pronounce the names. I thought I could just squeak by, but thank you for correcting me."

"S'okay." Laura yawned again as she shut her eyes. "Keep reading."

"Any particular story?" Adama replied as he moved a strand of hair from the sleepy child's forehead.

"Read the first one again; about the chariots." Laura mumbled sleepily as she laid her head down on the Admiral's chest. "And say the names right this time."

Adama turned back to the appropriate page and began reading. "_Seeing as how they were celestial beings, the twins of Zeus were given the task of navigating the heavens. So Hephaestus, the god of craftsman, constructed magical chariots in which Apollo and Artemis could travel the stars. The king and queen of the gods were most pleased, and Hephaestus was released from the exile imposed upon him because of betrayal."_

"Admiral?" Dee whispered and pointed to Laura, who was now sound asleep, snoring on the Admiral's chest.

Adama stood up carefully and slowly, easing the child onto the couch and covering her with a blanket. He then turned to Dualla. "Why don't you call it a night, Dee?"

Dualla again pointed to Laura. "Do you want me to take her to her quarters for you?"

"She's dead asleep." He replied as he came to his desk. "She can stay here tonight. Let Lee and Kara have a quiet night, so that they can rest."

She looked at him, the concern etched on her face. "What about _you_?"

The Admiral lowered his eyes sadly. "Haven't slept much in the last few days, don't know why that'd change now." He took off his glasses. "I just kind of feel, after everything that's happened……………..I need to be able to keep an eye on her; make sure that she's okay."

Dualla looked down to the papers in her hands and then placed them on the desk in front of him. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"I need you to take care of yourself, Petty Officer." Adama replied seriously. "You've been going non-stop ever since—." His head dropped. "It didn't go unnoticed that you never left our sides during the funeral or the swearing-ins. Not mine or Lee's or Billy's—excuse me, _President Keikeya's_."

She never looked up at him as she went about straightening the papers on his desk until they were in neat, perpendicular piles. "I had to do something. I mean, I barely knew the woman. But you just named three people that I care about deeply, and they all loved her like she was family. So she was _my_ family by extension, I guess you could say."

Adama stopped the nervous ministrations of her hands and gently touched her forearm. "You're a good woman, Dee. Your father would be proud of you."

She laughed wearily. "I'm not sure that he would be, actually." She paused and then lowered her head before lifting it back up to look into the Admiral's eyes. "Are _you_ proud of me?"

Adama smiled genuinely. "Always."

She smiled back. "Then that's enough." She laid her hand on top of his and squeezed it before walking to the door, she then looked affectionately over to the sleeping child. "I'll go find Captains Thrace and Adama; let them know that Laura's here tonight."

* * *

Lee's tired eyes adjusted to the scene before him as he opened the hatch to his quarters. Kara was sitting in a chair at the table, brush in hand, and Laura was sitting directly in front of her. 

"Ow, Mama, it hurts."

"I know it does, sweetheart." Kara replied as she ran the brush through Laura's hair. "You had zero tangles when you went to sleep eight hours ago. How is it possible that you now have one so twisted, I can't get the brush through it?" She ran it through again.

"Owwwwww." Laura squirmed in her seat. "Stop, Mama."

"Good morning." Lee finally spoke up from the hatch.

Kara and Laura looked over at him and grinned as he closed the door and walked to the table.

"Hey." Kara gleamed as he kissed her on the lips. "How was the graveyard shift?"

"Dead." He replied as he then kissed Laura on the forehead.

Laura giggled. "That's funny, Daddy."

Kara took the opportunity to use the distraction to resume brushing Laura's hair.

"Oww, Mama. I'm serious, that _hurts_."

"Okay." Kara stated as she turned Laura's shoulders around to face her. "One more time, and if the tangle's not out after that, I'll stop."

Laura nodded. "Okay."

Kara swiped the brush through.

"Is the tangle out?" Laura asked hopefully.

Kara frowned. "No." But she ran the brush through, hard, one extra time. That got the tangle out.

"Owwww." Laura shouted as she rubbed her head.

Kara showed her the brush. "See? It's all out now."

"You said you'd stop." Laura pouted. "You _lied_, Mama."

"I know, baby. I'm an awful Mama." Kara kissed the crown of her head and rose from her chair, walking into the kitchen area."But it was just a little lie. And I couldn't have you walking around like some kinda street urchin. It would reflect poorly on the Adama name."

Lee smirked at Kara from behind her back. "Like the Adama name wasn't sullied beyond repair the day _you _took it."

"Hey!" Kara laughed as she turned around and threw the brush in his direction.

He watched it narrowly fly past his head and winked at her as he popped a mint in his mouth. "Nice aim."

"Thank you." She smirked as she picked up her coffee cup and put it in the sink. "I somehow knew when I married you; I'd get lots of practice throwing things at your head."

Lee looked down at his daughter who was still pouting and rubbing her head. "Does it still hurt?"

"Uh-huh." She whined.

"Yeah?" He picked her up and sat her on the table as he pulled out another mint. "Want some candy?"

"Uh-huh." She said as she took it from him.

Kara turned around and glared at him. "Don't give her candy. She hasn't finished her breakfast yet." She pointed at Laura and then at the half-full bowl on the table. "Finish your cereal."

"I don't like cereal." Laura said simply.

"Tough." Kara replied. "Little girls need their breakfast if they're gonna grow up to be big and strong."

"I think she's already got that part more than covered." Lee joked.

"Lee!" She glared at him with her hands on her hips.

"Kara! The only thing that's gonna give her enough nutrition to help her grow at the rate she's been growing is the supplemental shots that Cottle gives her every week. So don't keep shoving the cereal down her throat if she doesn't want to eat it." Lee gestured to Laura, who was loudly chewing her mint. "She wanted some candy. I gave her some candy."

"So we're just letting her do whatever she wants now?" Kara grinned shrewdly at him. "We gonna let her play with matches now too?"

"Like what, for our entertainment?" He deadpanned and then saw her double over in laughter. "Giving her candy and not making her finish her breakfast isn't going to turn her into an unruly, disobedient brat………………_like you_." His eyes lit up as she walked to him and swatted him on the shoulder. He just wrapped his arms around her and leaned in to kiss her neck. "Give her a break, Starbuck."

"Yeah, Starbuck." Laura giggled from her seat on the table.

Kara pulled back from Lee and gave him an eye-twinkle that was only partially disguised by a dirty look. "See what you did? You're in the room less than five minutes and look at the trouble you cause." She walked over to Laura and tickled her under her arms. "My name is _not_ Starbuck, my name is Mama."

Laura giggled and then hopped off the table. "Mama, where's my book?"

"The last place I remember having it was in our bed when I read you your story last night. So check there." Kara pointed to the room. "And hurry, or else we're gonna be late."

"Where are you going?" Lee asked Kara in slight concern as Laura went off.

"I have a shift, and I got somebody to watch Laura so that you could have some uninterrupted sleep." She said as she gathered Laura's things together and put them in her bag.

"I thought everybody was busy." Lee added.

"They are." Kara corrected. "So I got Helo to watch her."

Lee felt his heart drop low in his chest as he heard the verbal slip. He heard her suck in a sharp breath and she stopped her movements instantly, so obviously she realized what she had said as well.

"Duck. I meant to say Duck." Kara croaked out as she resumed gathering Laura's things. "Duck's gonna watch her."

Lee looked at his wife sadly, but decided to let the slip go. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, the last time I checked, Duck wasn't exactly fond of the whole reason that Laura exists in the first place."

Kara looked up at him and smiled widely. "You should have seen the two of them last night when I took her to the mess for dinner. Duck mentioned that he was from Heran Island on Virgon, and Laura kept him talking about the ocean for forty-five minutes." Kara chuckled softly. "The grin on his face was so big as he described it to her. I've never seen him so animated about anything."

"Mama?" Laura called out from the other room. "I can't find my book."

"Check under the covers, baby." Kara called back. "It's probably under there."

Lee smiled before he decided he needed to get serious again. "How long is your shift?"

"Eight hours." Kara answered. "But then I have to meet with Kat for a few hours about a new training idea that she had." She rolled her eyes. "As much as it pains me to admit it, it's _actually_ a pretty good idea. Duck's gonna watch Laura for the morning, then your dad's gonna get her in the afternoon."

Lee began reluctantly. "I need to talk to you about something. Something about Zar—."

"Found it!" Laura said triumphantly as she came out of the bedroom holding her book.

Kara walked to Lee and pressed herself against him. "I'm free for an hour after my shift but before I meet Kat. We can talk then." She then put her face in the hollow of his neck and he could feel her breath against his skin. "And if you're still asleep, I'll just have to find an extra inventive way to wake you up."

Lee moaned low in his throat as he ran his hands up and down her sides.

"Hmm-hmph." Laura coughed pointedly. "Little child standing right here."

"Okay, okay." Kara pulled away from Lee and he reluctantly disentangled their hands. "We're leaving."

"Bye." Lee grinned as they both moved to the door. "Play nice."

"I always do, Daddy." Laura smiled as she put her bag over her shoulder.

"Talking about Mama, sweetheart." He replied as Laura started to giggle. "Hey, little Laura, since Mama's gonna be busy this evening, you wanna go to the Greenleaf and see Boy?"

Laura started to hop up and down. "Yeah!"

"Alright then." Lee laughed. "We'll go tonight."

Kara opened the door and Laura was quickly behind her. "You got the picture that you drew that you wanted to show Duck?"

"Hold on." Laura stopped and ran back to the table to pick up the drawing. She showed it to Lee. "It's of the ocean, Daddy."

"It's beautiful." He smiled at her.

"Come on." Kara said as Laura ran back to the door. "You wanted to show your picture to Corporal Venner too." Laura walked back to the door and just before Kara closed it, she spoke. "Sleep well, Lee. Love you."

Lee watched the hatch close and despite what he knew was coming; he couldn't help but smile at the wholly crazy but satisfying direction his life had taken.

He got into bed and dreamed sweetly. Trying hard not to think about the conversation he would soon have to have with Kara.

* * *

Eight hours and forty-five minutes later, he sat on their bed, looking at the numb and confused look on Kara's face. 

She bit the tip of her thumb and took a deep breath. "When you say 'excessive calls'... exactly how many are we talking about?"

He closed his eyes. "I honestly don't know the exact number."

"Ballpark it." She pleaded desperately.

"Okay." He said, looking straight at her. "In the two months that Zarek's been Vice President …………….about twenty five."

She bolted up from the bed. "Twenty five." She laughed in nervous hysteria. "Twenty five? And those are just the ones that you know about?"

"We know about all of them." He tried to calm her. "We've been tracking his movements. And we've been monitoring his calls from the Astral Queen, Cloud Nine, Colonial One—."

"He could be talking to people _in person_, or he could be making calls from any ship in the fleet-- and you _frakking_ _know it_." She screamed as she pointed her finger at him. "We have given this man total access to any ship."

"He doesn't have access to _any ship_." Lee shot back. "He's a terrorist—."

"He's the gods damn Vice President!" She answered harshly. "We _made_ him Vice President, Lee!"

Lee lowered his head in defeat as he stayed seated on the bed. "We unscrambled the calls, but Zarek was speaking in code in all the transmissions."

"Yeah, well, sociopaths are usually quite smart." She hissed through clenched teeth.

"He was asking them to do something for him. But he could just be asking for damaging info that he can use against us, another picture—."

"Oh gods, you are so deluded. This isn't about a frakking picture." She rubbed her temple. "Zarek will do whatever he has to do. The fleet already knows about Laura, Lee. And the only thing that we had going for us was that, for some inexplicable reason, nobody seemed to _care_. Zarek is _not_ making these calls so that he can manipulate the public, he's already tried that and it _didn't work_. And we already know that he has no problem manipulating his friends into trying to kill Adamas. If he's calling in favors, it is NOT for a picture." She turned away from him and braced the wall. "Tell me exactly what he said in the calls." She ordered as she faced him again, the low volume of her voice not disguising her fear.

He reached out and gently took her hand. "He was asking for help in fixing a broken appliance."

She laughed softly, sorrowfully. "An appliance? Like a _toaster_?"

He nodded. "He said he was looking for a trusted repairman to take care of the problem."

She roughly pulled her hand away. "So why is he frakking still _breathing_?"

"We can't just go in with guns blazing, Kara!" He shouted in exasperation. "Because you're right, he _is_ the Vice President." He stood and took her arm. She tried to pull away, but he pulled her to him with all the force he had and wrapped himself around her. "It will be soon. But it can't look like an assassination. And it can't be traced back to us-- or anybody else in the military."

She surrendered to his embrace and buried her face in his shoulder. "This pisses me off, Adama."

"I know it does." He stroked her hair. "But I promise you, we will take care of Zarek."

She pulled back and smiled slightly at him. "I know you will. That isn't what's pissing me off. I'm pissed off because this son of a bitch is trying to hurt my child and I wanna be the one to put a bullet in his head." She rolled her eyes. "But I can't, because we have to be frakking _discreet_ about it."

He looked deep in her eyes. "You wanna hear some good news?"

"Sure." She whispered as she put her head on his shoulder again. "After this, I could use some."

"They've been saying _no_." He whispered back.

"_Who's_ been saying no?"

"The people that Zarek's been calling. That's why he's had to call so many. He's getting desperate, because nobody wants to do it."

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "The Vice President of the Colonies has been calling around asking patriots to '_do the honorable thing'_ and execute an _'enemy of the people'_ and they've been saying NO?"

"Yeah." He nodded as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Strange isn't it?"

"Are they just afraid of your father, or the wrath of the military, or the government, or—?"

His eyes shone. "There are a million reasons that I can think of why they're refusing, but I think the real reason is the one that we've never been able to articulate."

"What the frak is going on here, Lee?" She asked with child-like wonder in her voice.

"Don't know." He replied honestly. "Don't care either. As long as Laura is kept safe, I'm not gonna question any of it."

She nodded in understanding. "I have to go meet Kat."

"So go meet Kat." He leaned in a kissed her. "I'll go get Laura from Dad's. We'll probably be back from the Greenleaf by the time you get back."

Her eyes got extremely wide. "You're still going to let her go see Boy?"

"Yeah." He said simply. "I told her we would."

"But with—."

"It's a totally unscheduled visit. Zarek doesn't know that we're gonna be there." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'll get Racetrack to take us over in a Raptor and Corporal Venner is with her today. You trust them, right?"

"Yeah." She replied as she traced his collar. "When does your shift start?"

"It's supposed to start at 20:00, but it's just an office rotation; some paperwork, reports I needed to do." He exhaled. "But I wanna be with you tonight. I'll just get up extremely early tomorrow and do them then."

"I couldn't do any of this if you weren't right here with me, Lee." She looked up at him through lowered eyelashes.

"Then it's probably a good thing I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Admiral Adama looked up from the book he was reading and gazed at his family as the three of them sat on the floor of his quarters, playing a board game. He listened to the sound of his granddaughter and daughter-in-law laughing, and for the first time in quite a while, he felt the hole in his heart begin to heal. 

"This is actually quite funny, Admiral. You have an extensive literary collection and yet you're reading a children's book."

Adama looked over at the amused face of President Roslin as she sat next to him on the couch. "What's so funny about it?"

Roslin smiled widely and took Laura's favorite book from his hands--the mythology book that Father Monseau had given her. "I thought you didn't believe in the gods."

"They're just stories." He smiled back.

"Really?" She asked cleverly as she traced the octagonal edges with care. "Is that all they are?"

They were interrupted by a loud burst of laughter and clapping from the floor as Laura won the current round. The others in the room were oblivious to Roslin's sudden presence.

"She's beautiful, Bill." Roslin whispered as she looked at her namesake.

"I know." He answered with pride. "She is one of the most amazing people I've ever had come into my life."

"Captain Apollo doesn't look so good though." Roslin laughed as she saw Lee sitting on the floor, sneezing and rubbing his watery eyes.

"Allergies." Adama replied, also laughing slightly. "He took her to see her cat tonight before they came here, and I guess it affected him. I don't know why he continues to go with her if it's just going to make him sick."

"Because she loves that cat, and he loves her." Roslin nodded firmly. "And yeah, he knows she's half machine. He doesn't care, he loves her anyway."

"It's been two months since you died." He said sadly as he looked to his lap. "Billy's doing well, really well. People like him. And yet, I still feel like I'm totally lost without you here to guide me."

"I'm still here." She answered simply as she looked at the three younger Adamas. "I've never left. And I never will."

He looked back up to her. "So much is happening, and sometimes I'm so……….._afraid_." He saw a surprised look grace her face at that revelation. "You'll watch over us?"

"Yes." She laughed slightly. "But watching is all I'll really be able to do, I'm afraid. However, something much bigger than me will take care of everything else."

"I'd like to believe that, Laura." He said hopefully.

"Then believe it." She whispered affectionately as she held out her hand. "You have my word."

He gently took her hand and then leaned over to place a small kiss on her lips, still feeling their warmth against his own.

The Admiral awoke slowly to the same feeling.

"Grandpa? Grandpa!"

His eyes adjusted and he saw his granddaughter giving him a pecking kiss as she sat on his lap.

"You fell asleep." Laura giggled at him."And give me back my book."

"It's late, Dad. We're going home." Lee said, rubbing his reddened eyes as he finished putting the game that they had been playing back init's box.

"Quit touching your eyes." Kara told Lee. "That'll just make it worse."

"They itch, Kara!" He replied in annoyance.

"Well, then you're just gonna have to be a big _Captain in the Colonial Fleet_ and deal with it!" She shot back.

"Children." Adama warned them. He then saw them smile and chuckle at each other because of his admonishment. He kissed Laura on the head and gave her back her book. "Go to bed, little girl."

"You too, Grandpa." She said as she got off the couch and walked to the door.

"Goodnight, Dad." Lee said as he picked Laura up.

"Goodnight, Admiral." Kara added as they walked through the door.

When it had shut behind them, the Admiral looked around the totally empty room and sighed. But it was not a tortured or anguished sigh; just a tired one.

He walked to his bed, and for the first time in months,he felt that he'd be able to sleep without demons, past or present, coming to him in his dreams.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Alarms. Sirens. Clanging whistles and bells blaring loudly in his ears. Normally, Lee's kneejerk reaction would be to run to where the fray was. But as he awoke, he realized the only battle heralded by this noise was the one he would have within himself.

Namely, deciding whether to go out into the cold and do his job or stay here in his bed with his fiery wife curled up next to him, keeping his warm.

"Tr'noff." Kara mumbled as she turned her face away from his chest and plopped her pillow over her head.

Lee reached over and turned off the alarm. "It's off." He told her as he pushed aside the strap of her tank and leaned in to kiss her exposed shoulder.

"You're a total freak." He heard her muffled voice respond.

"If you want to take advantage of me in our bed at night, you've got to deal with me getting out of it in the morning." He teased.

She finally poked her head out from under the pillow and looked at the clock. "03:45." She chuckled as she laid her head back down on _top_ of the pillow and began tracing patterns on his bare chest with her fingers. "Not too many people would consider that morning."

Lee looked up at the ceiling, his eyes growing heavy again at the soothing nature of her touch. But then her hand stilled on his chest and he knew that she had gone back to sleep. He heard their bedroom door creak open, and without opening his eyes, he sensed the tiny ray of light from the desk lamp in the living room subtly illuminate the darkness.

He let his hand drop to the side of the bed and crooked his finger in a 'come here' gesture. He then heard the door open all the way and the sound of tiny feet plodding to stand beside the bed.

He finally turned to look at her. She was in her pajamas, holding her Aerilon Chiefs bear as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I heard a noise." She whispered.

"That was my alarm." He told her as he reached up to ruffle her hair.

"Is it time to get up?" She yawned.

He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes as well. "Just for me." He then turned to place his feet on the floor and lifted her onto the bed next to him. "But you and Mama can sleep for a few more hours." He got out of bed. "Why don't you stay here so that Mama doesn't get cold?"

"Okay." Laura said sleepily as she got under the covers that he held back for her and settled into the warm spot that he had just vacated.

Kara felt the little girl cuddle in next to her and wrapped her arms around her, kissing her hair.

"Have a good day, Daddy." Laura mumbled with her eyes closed.

Lee leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you at lunch."

He then quietly got his clothes from the dresser and went to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. When he came back into the room fifteen minutes later, both women were sound asleep.

* * *

A few hours later, the man who had taken Laura's picture at her confirmation stood in a cabin on Cloud Nine. "It's not exactly happening like you thought it would, is it, Tom?" 

Zarek looked into a mirror and rubbed his temples to alleviate the pounding in his head. "The fleet will come to see—."

"The fleet doesn't _care_." The other man huffed. "Surely you can see that by now. You've called in every favor you had, and you still couldn't get anyone to take care of the child."

Zarek poured himself a glass of water and then turned around to glare coldly at his companion. "This was never about the child. This was about leading the people away from their oppression and toward freedom."

The other man snorted. "The people seem to like their oppression."

"Everything I do is for the greater good—soon they will come to see that." Zarek winced as he sat down at the table. He reached for a nearby bottle of pills and took a couple out.

The man narrowed his eyes in inquisition. "You still having your headaches?"

Zarek nodded in affirmation but otherwise ignored the question as he swallowed the pills. "In the beginning, the mistake was mine. I underestimated the power of myth, superstition, prophecy. It was stupid of me to think that they would rise up while Roslin was still alive. The people were willing to blindly follow Roslin because they believed in her; believed that she was a prophet."

"They still do."

"But she's not _here_ to lead them anymore." Zarek pointed out. "And William Keikeya is no prophet. Neither is Adama or his son." He closed his eyes as he breathed deep and tried to focus. "Yet they still ask the people to blindly follow."

"And the people are doing just that."

"Because they've been brainwashed by half-truths and obfuscation." Zarek shot back. "At first, I thought a mere push toward the truth would be enough to open the fleet's eyes: A picture, a story to tell over the wireless. But obviously, the fleet needs a stronger wake up call."

"So you've used up all your manipulation and public savvy and now you're resorting to murder." The man shook his head as he harshly tapped his finger on the table. "I helped you before; going to the Galactica to try and get that picture of the kid…………..but I'm done now."

"It's not murder." Zarek corrected. "And she's not a kid."

"Semantics." The man replied icily. "Either way, you're going too far."

Zarek started to plead. "The fleet—."

"Doesn't CARE." The other man hissed, cutting him off. "You thought the fleet would rise up when they learned the truth, they didn't. You thought if you called enough of your loyal friends to kill Adama's granddaughter, somebody would. And then Adama and the President would abuse their power to mercilessly exact vengeance upon whoever did it……………and the fleet wouldn't stand for it's own people being assaulted like that simply because of a dead Cylon, so they would rise up and overthrow them." The man's anger changed to mocking amusement. "But even your fellow _freedom fighters_ have been hanging up on you."

"Galactica's integrity has been weakened by the luster of the Cylon wonderchild. They'll guard it with every resource they have." Zarek nodded to himself as he looked down at the table. "And the fleet is reluctant to lash out against the military that protects them. They are unwilling to compromise their security by alienating the ship with the guns."

The man reluctantly agreed. "Exactly, it would be suicide to start a civil war against Galactica."

Zarek smiled forebodingly. "Well, my friend, you forget that Galactica is not the only ship in the fleet with guns anymore."

"You can't be thinking—."

This time, it was Zarek's turn to do the cutting off. "It would be much easier for the people of the fleet to make the jump into revolution if the bigger and badder of the two Battlestars was on their side." Zarek looked up at his companion with a fanatical gleam in his eye. "It's time for me to commune with the Beast."

* * *

"And there wasn't any doubt as to what he was asking?" 

"No, Admiral." Commander Fisk replied. "He must be getting desperate, because he just came right out and said it."

"Just to be clear, so that there can be no defense later—." Billy interrupted as he spoke into the speakerphone. "He was asking you to commit murder and mutiny?"

"Zarek was _very_ clear, Mr. President." Fisk replied. "He said that once my men killed the hybrid, Galactica would turn on Pegasus and then he and I would work together to take down both Adama's command and the government that had allowed the child to exist in the first place. He said that it would be easy for a Pegasus crew member to gain access to Galactica— and to the child."

Billy shook his head in disgust from where he sat behind his desk on Colonial One. Adama sat in the chair in front of it, rubbing his eyes in fret. "We appreciate you reporting this to us so quickly, Jack." Adama said.

Billy spoke quietly to the Admiral. "Son of a bitch is supposed to be here in half an hour for a strategy meeting with the two of us………………..and just an hour ago, he was ordering the assassination of your granddaughter."

"Actually, Mr. President……….." Fisk interjected reluctantly. "He called me first thing this morning. Around 07:30."

Adama's eyes shot up to stare directly at Billy, whose mouth hung open slightly in disbelief. Billy then looked at the clock. "So why did you wait………_nine_ hours to report this to us?"

They both heard Fisk let out a huge breath from over the phone line. "I had to mull it over."

Adama stiffened in his chair. "Exactly what did you need to _mull over_, Commander Fisk?" He rasped harshly.

"Admiral, it was a legitimate member of the government asking a legitimate member of the military to execute an enemy agent." Fisk paused. "Now I know that there is a context for everything, and I knew—even at the time that Zarek was asking me to do it—that I _couldn't_ do it. But the way Zarek put it; it didn't _seem_ like murder and mutiny."

"Jack," Adama said softly. "If you're having second thoughts—."

"Admiral, I've been having second thoughts about this since the day I found out about it." Fisk answered, his voice rising. "Admiral Cain was killed by a Cylon, and 700 Pegasus crew members were killed by Cylons in the initial attack. Not to mention the countless family and friends that we all lost. The Cylons are the enemy. And it's our job to kill the enemy."

"Then why did you tell us at all?" Billy asked softly. "Why didn't you just do what Zarek asked?"

Fisk stayed silent for a few moments. "We went to extremes to survive. Some of the things we did—they were _not_ good things. And I feel like we gave up part of what made us human just so we could stay alive." He answered firmly. "But I also feel like, slowly but surely, we're now starting to get that part back." Fisk paused and took a deep breath. "Maybe I'm not willing to go to those extremes anymore. Maybe I'm not willing to do that to something that hasn't done anything to deserve it."

"Some_one_, Jack." Adama replied sincerely. "Laura's not a _thing_, she's a person."

"I'm sorry, sir." Fisk said apologetically, but resolutely. "I realize that you feel that way about her, but I'm... just not there yet."

"Commander Fisk—." Billy began.

Fisk cut him off. "If we want to stay alive, keep humanity alive—we have to do it together. I recognize that." His voice became determined. "Nobody from the Pegasus is going to hurt her."

Adama nodded. "We appreciate that, Jack."

"Zarek's willing to tear us apart. Cause a civil war." Fisk added. "He's willing to do something that would not only cause the death of the Admiral's granddaughter, but countless members of the fleet as well. He's dangerous."

Billy exhaled in frustration. "We know."

"What's your plan for him?" Fisk asked simply.

Adama and Billy locked gazes. "Maybe it's best that you not get involved in this, Jack."

Fisk chuckled softly. "Too late, Admiral; already neck deep in it." He was silent for a moment. "Zarek asked for an assassination. Well………….I'd be willing to give him one."

Billy leaned forward in his chair and Adama took off his glasses, placing them in front of him on the desk. "How can you help us, Commander?" Billy asked hesitantly.

"I have a way." Fisk answered.

* * *

Three days later, Kara stood in front of a door and raised her hand. She almost knocked on it; but at the last second, pulled her hand away for the third time. She then heard Laura groan from beside her. 

"Ahhh, Mama, come _onnn_."

Corporal Townsend chuckled from where he stood beside them. "If you don't do it soon, you'll be late for your shift."

Kara looked at both of them and took a deep, fortifying breath before finally knocking on the door.

It opened a few seconds later. "Captain Thrace?" Colonel Tigh greeted in irritation.

Kara moved inside without invitation, gently pulling Laura in with her. She looked around the room nervously. "Is your wife here?"

"No." Tigh replied hesitantly.

"Will she be coming back anytime soon?"

"No." He replied again. "She'll be on the Rising Star until this evening."

"Good." Kara said with relief.

"Why is that good?"

"Because even in desperation, there are just some lines I won't cross." She told him. She then held Laura's hand a little tighter. "I need you to watch Laura this morning."

Tigh's eyes got very wide. "I don't really think that's a good idea."

Kara chuckled deprecatingly. "I whole-heartedly agree. But it's not up to me." She let Laura's bag drop from her shoulder and put it on the floor. "I'm on CAP, Lee got an emergency call to Colonial One, and everybody else in on shift."

"Surely there must be someone else." Tigh said, looking down at Laura who just stood there looking around the room uncertainly. "Someone else who—?"

"The Admiral suggested you." Kara interrupted.

"I'm sorry?" Tigh croaked out in disbelief. "He suggested _me_?"

Kara nodded. "Actually he didn't really make it seem like much of a _suggestion_. He said something about how it would '_Do Saul some good_'" She crinkled her nose mockingly. "I personally don't think it will do anything but traumatize my child for the rest of her life…………..but the Old Man seemed insistent."

Tigh looked in horror to the child. "I wouldn't know how. I have no idea what to do with a child."

"She's really well-behaved." Kara said as she sat Laura down at the Colonel's desk and pulled out Laura's paper and crayons so that she could draw. "Just sit here and watch her………….. and make sure that nothing gets set on fire."

Tigh's eyes got as wide as saucers. "Does she do that?" He asked in fear. "Does she set things on fire?"

Kara looked up at him in annoyance. "I was talking about _you_!"

"When will you be back, Mama?" Laura asked as she started to draw.

"I won't. Daddy's gonna pick you up." Kara replied as she pulled out some books and a small plastic bottle of liquid. "He said he should be back by 11:15. How long is that?"

Laura looked at the clock on the wall. "Three and a half hours."

"Good." Kara said as she kissed her head. "I gotta go now. Be good for Colonel Tigh."

"I will." Laura answered without looking up.

Kara walked over to stand in front of Tigh. "There's a guard outside. Call CIC and have Dee contact me if anything happens." She exhaled and screwed her eyes shut. "This is my child, please don't frak up."

She then walked to the door and left the room.

Tigh hesitantly walked over and sat down at the chair on the other side of his desk. He then pulled out a small metal flask from his pocket, unscrewed the top and put it to his lips.

Laura looked at him and muttered. "Mm-hmm." She then wrote something on the top of her paper. "07:47"

Tigh eyed her cautiously. "What? What did you just write down?"

"Mama told me to write down whenever you took a drink from a shiny bottle."

Tigh's eyes narrowed, but a reluctant, begrudging grin formed on his face. He screwed the top back on. "But I didn't drink from it yet." He put the flask down on the desk. "And I promise I won't drink anything if you promise not to squeal on me." He put out his hand. "Deal?"

"Deal." She said as she shook it. She then colored over the numbers that she had written on the paper.

"What are you drawing?"

"A picture." Laura answered as she drew squiggly lines on a paper.

Tigh peeked over to look at her drawing, laughing slightly. "What are those, snakes?"

"Uh-huh."

"There are a lot of them."

"Twelve." Laura said simply as she drew a stick figure that stood on top of the snakes.

Tigh saw her draw the figure. "Who's the person standing on top of them?"

"The President."

"Roslin?" Tigh asked in shock.

"Uh-huh." Laura said as she drew long hair on the figure. "She used to see snakes."

"President Roslin died when you were just a baby." Tigh inquired nervously. "Did someone tell you that she saw snakes?"

"Nope."

"Then how do you know that?" He whispered breathlessly.

Laura shrugged as she continued to draw. "I just do."

Tigh examined her thoroughly for close to a minute. "Do _you_ see things, Laura?"

Laura looked up at him and giggled. "I don't see snakes or anything like that. I don't see things that aren't there."

"Okay." Tigh said in relief.

"But I see things that _are_ there; things that people try to keep hidden." She added matter-of-factly.

Tigh gulped. "Like what?"

Laura stopped coloring. "One day, I kept trying to drink Mama's coffee. And she kept telling me to stop, because it was hot and it would burn me." She said softly.

"Laura, what does that have to do—?"

"But I kept trying and I finally took a sip when she turned away. And she was right—it did burn me." Laura reached up and touched her lip. "When I cried, she knew that I had tried some, even though she'd told me not to. She yelled at me………….. and then she hit me."

Tigh sat back in his chair. "Did she hurt you?"

Laura shook her head. "She just hit my hand, it didn't even hurt." Laura then looked at her hand thoughtfully. "But Mama got this sad look on her face, and she went over to the couch and sat down. She hugged her knees and started to cry."

Tigh lowered his head. "She was sorry that she had done it."

"I know." Laura shrugged. "I went over and hugged her and told her that it didn't hurt. She told me she was sorry and asked me if I forgave her." Laura smiled innocently. "I told her that she didn't have anything to be sorry for. But she was still sad for the rest of the day………….at least until we went to sleep that night."

"Laura—?"

"People do bad things all the time." Laura said as she went back to her picture. "And people get forgiven all the time for the bad things they do." Laura looked back up at Tigh, her blue eyes gentle and shining. "But it's a lot harder to forgive yourself."

Tigh looked at this child who was chronologically only four _months_ old, who only looked to be about five _years_ old, but who was speaking the wisdom of someone who had been alive for decades. And he felt as if he had been hit across the head with a brick. "Some things can't be forgiven." He responded softly.

"That's not true. Everybody deserves a second chance to make things better."

"And if you've already used up all your second chances?"

"But you haven't used them up." Laura told him simply. "You haven't even tried to make things better. But I bet you could………….. if you really tried."

Tigh let a small smirk form on his lips. "You think so?"

"Grandpa likes you, he has faith in you." Laura smiled in response to his question. "And Grandpa doesn't have faith in _anybody_ who deep down doesn't deserve it."

"Huh." Tigh snorted in recognition of the truth that she had just spoken. He then absently reached for his flask.

Laura's eyes got wide and she looked to the clock again; crayon ready to mark the time.

Tigh caught himself and chuckled as he put the flask back on the desk. "Sorry, I forgot our deal for a second."

"You want some of my juice?" Laura asked as she put her plastic bottle in front of him.

Tigh picked up his flask and went over to the console; he put it in the drawer and picked up a glass. "What kind of juice is it?"

"Grape." She replied as he sat back down and poured some in his glass.

He took a sip and grimaced. "That's not grape juice." He told her. "That's grape flavored water."

"Mama got it from the mess. They only have a little, and they have to make it last, so they watered it down." She shrugged. "I wouldn't know the difference. I've never had real juice."

Tigh smiled and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Well, that's a damn shame, little girl."

* * *

"It's a little different from what you usually ask me for, Saul." The voice on the other side of the phone said. 

"Can you do it though?" Tigh asked as he sat as his desk later that night.

"Sure." Fisk replied. "I can get you two cases of it instead of your usual weekly package."

"Only two?"

Fisk chuckled. "What you're asking for is a little harder to come by than alcohol."

"Fine." Tigh replied in annoyance. "Have it delivered to Galactica tomorrow."

"Will do, Saul." Fisk told him.

Tigh hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He then turned around to look at his wife who was reclining lazily on the bed. "Ellen? Things are gonna be a little tight this week."

* * *

"Hello, girls." Lee chuckled as he walked through the hatch into their quarters, slamming the door shut with his foot since his hands were full. 

"Hey." Kara replied, her eyes growing wide when she saw the box he was carrying. "Whaddya got there?"

Lee sat the box down on the table. "It's a gift."

Kara grinned. "Oh."

"From Colonel Tigh." Lee added.

"Oh." The grin dropped from Kara's face. "Is it ticking?"

Lee laughed slightly. "It's for Laura."

Laura had been sitting on the couch reading her book, and her head lifted when she heard her name. "I got a present?" She squealed as she jumped off the couch and climbed into one of the chairs at the table. "What is it?" She asked as she traced the edges of the box.

"Don't know." Lee answered. "I was given specific instructions that only you were to open it."

"Can I?" Laura pleaded, looking up at her mother.

"Have at it." Kara told her.

Laura ripped open the box and her jaw dropped in surprise.

"It's grape juice." Lee confirmed as he looked at the contents of the box. "Two cases."

"Wow." Laura gasped in excitement as she took out a few bottles. "I'll have to share some with Colonel Tigh."

"That'd be a sweet thing to do, little Laura." Lee smiled.

"Well, wasn't that nice of the Colonel to do that for you?" Kara smiled as well, though hers was insincere. She then turned to Lee with a low whisper. "Yeah, are we sure that it's not _eighty proof_ grape juice?"

Lee rolled his eyes. "Oh, Kara, grow up!"

* * *

A week later, Lee powered down his Viper after CAP and let Jammer take off his helmet. Tyrol then handed him a clipboard and Lee checked off a box. "Power down complete, all systems functional." 

Tyrol then walked away and Lee caught sight of Kara leaning against the wall near the flight deck exit, an unreadable expression on her face. Lee climbed out of his plane and walked over to her. "Kara?"

She bit her lip in response. "Something's happened, Lee."

"Laura?" He questioned, already knowing that it wasn't about her. If something was wrong with Laura, Kara would've come right out and told him.

She shook her head and held out her hand. "Come on."

They left the deck and walked hand in hand down the corridor to the rec room. As they entered, Lee saw that most of the people in there were huddled around the intercom. But when they saw Lee and Kara walk toward them, they all cleared way so that the two of them could be closest to the speaker.

"_There is no official comment from Colonial One at this time. But President Keikeya has traveled to Cloud Nine and we are expecting a statement sometime soon. Three doctors; Doctor Cottle from Galactica, a neurologist who had been a passenger on the Palasca Maru, and the resident medic on Cloud Nine have all confirmed that there was no foul play involved."_

Lee closed his eyes and willed his heart to stop beating so insanely fast.

"_For those of you just joining us, sad news from Cloud Nine tonight: Vice President Thomas Zarek died less than two hours ago in his government stateroom of a ruptured brain aneurysm."_

Kara was squeezing his hand so hard that if he could feel anything other than tremendous relief, Lee was sure it would have hurt. "It's over now." He whispered.

She turned to look at him and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "This part at least."

* * *

President Keikeya had gone over the report in his hand close to twenty times, at yet he still couldn't quite wrap his brain around what it said. He put the paper down on his desk and turned his chair to look at the whiteboard. He stared at it for nearly a minute before he stood and erased the last digit, replacing it with the lower number. 

_Can we really count Tom Zarek as a person?_

"Mr. President?" A voice chirped over the intercom. "Your guest from Galactica has arrived."

Billy turned away from the whiteboard and looked to the door. He saw Dee pull back the curtain and walk into the cabin. "Mr. President." She grinned lasciviously in greeting.

"Petty Officer." He grinned back as he walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you for responding to my call so quickly." He whispered fervently.

She leaned in and brushed her lips over his pulse point. "I go where I'm told."

"Hmmm." He chuckled lowly.

She pulled back slightly. "How are you?" She asked with genuine concern.

He cocked his eyebrows. "Well………" He began. "I managed to get through the press conference announcing Zarek's death without breaking into a happy dance……….so that's half the battle right there."

She giggled as she laid her hand over his heart. "Any word on his replacement?"

"Wallace Gray." Billy answered simply. "He and President Roslin had a sort of falling out, but after he heard that she was close to death, they reconciled. I asked him and he agreed without hesitation."

She smiled teasingly. "He won't have any problems taking orders from a twenty-four year old?"

"Well, even if he does, I don't think he'll try to order the overthrow of my administration and allow the fleet to fall into civil war." He laughed. "So already it's a step up from the last guy. As long as Gray gets to be Vice President; I think he'll put up with taking orders from a child."

"Nobody sees you as a child anymore, Billy." Dee told him seriously as she straightened his tie. She then kissed him softly on the lips. "Least of all me."

He started to lead her over to the couch, but she pulled on his hand to stop him.

"I'm not alone." She told him as she gestured to the curtain.

"Is Adama with you?" Billy questioned.

"Not _Admiral_ Adama." She responded as she walked back to the doorway.

She pulled back the curtain to reveal Lee and Kara standing there waiting.

"Captain Thrace, Captain Adama." Billy said in greeting as they came into his office.

"Mr. President." Kara responded as she held out her hand.

Billy shook it and then gestured for them to sit in two chairs that sat in front of the couch. Billy sat on the couch with Dee beside him. Lee and Kara sat as well and they all stayed in a tentative silence for about thirty seconds.

"We wanted to thank you for what you did." Lee finally stated.

"I didn't do anything." Billy responded quietly.

"No." Kara smiled back conspiratorially. "Of course you didn't."

Billy shook his head and looked her directly in the eye. "No, Captain Thrace, I'm not being modest, and I'm not being covert." He exhaled loudly, thinking of the report he had just read. "I'm telling you, _I didn't do anything."_

Everyone's face grew puzzled. "But Zarek's dead." Lee confirmed. "And both you and my father told me that would happen soon."

"It was _going to_." Billy interjected. "Sometime later this week."

Dee took Billy's hand in hers. "Billy, what are you—?"

"Zarek had been having headaches; everyone that dealt with him directly knew that. And a few people that he worked with _very_ closely knew that he had been taking painkillers that he got from the black market to help treat the headaches." Billy looked at Lee. "Your father and I had a friend who was heavily involved in the black market—."

"Fisk." Lee confirmed as he leaned forward in his chair.

Billy nodded. "Commander Fisk agreed to switch Zarek's latest batch with medicine that wouldn't have quite the same _healing_ effect as his usual remedy."

"You poisoned him." Kara nodded.

Billy shook his head. "No. Fisk never had the chance to do it. The three doctors that examined Zarek were not involved in the conspiracy, and they were telling the truth. There was no foul play involved, Zarek died of natural causes."

"The headaches were a signal that he was already getting sick." Lee stated, looking at Kara as he placed a gentle hand on her knee.

"It actually worked out better than we anticipated." Billy laughed wearily. "There aren't too many ways to fake an aneurysm. And even Zarek's friends have told the press about his headaches, so it's not hard for them to believe that he would suddenly drop dead. And so far, no one has been screaming 'assassination'."

Kara took Lee's hand and brought it to her lips. Lee sat back in his chair and let out a loud sigh of relief.

"So Laura's safe?" Dee asked hopefully. She and Billy then shared a knowing look, and he soothingly covered her hand with his.

"Laura's never gonna be totally safe." Lee corrected seriously. "There are still the Cylons to worry about. And just because Zarek's no longer an issue, that doesn't mean that she's free and clear."

"But things will be easier now." Billy assured them. "I have trusted people spread out all over this fleet. If they hear _anything_ that remotely _resembles _a threat to Laura's safety or the safety of the fleet……….we'll take care of it before it becomes a problem."

"It won't matter." Kara said quietly as she looked to where Lee's hand was still entwined with hers.

Billy and Lee blanched at the comment. Billy leaned forward and spoke in a firm voice. "I made a promise to a lady." He began. "I swear to you, Captain Thrace, nothing is going to happen to your daughter."

Kara looked up at him, her face serene and her eyes gleaming. "Oh, I know that. I feel it; nothing is gonna happen to her. It'll all be taken care of."

"Kara." Lee started gently. "Just because Zarek's been—."

"You still don't believe it, do you?" She interrupted, looking at him in wonder. "Zarek is gone and our hands are totally clean. It couldn't have worked out better if it had been mandated by the gods themselves."

Lee shook his head. "Kara, we can't just trust that—."

"Yes, we can." She stated firmly as she grasped his hand tighter. "Have you ever felt anything like this in your life, Lee? Did you even think it was _possible_ for people like us to feel this way?"

Lee smiled and then dropped his chin to his chest. "No."

She smiled back. "Then why won't you just admit that something more might be going on here?"

"Fine." He chuckled, looking back up at her. "I'll admit it." He then turned and pointed at Billy. "But still tap every phone and guard every ship. And nobody has access to my daughter that shouldn't have it. I'm not taking any frakking chances."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Kara looked down to Laura's bed and grabbed a blanket, placing it over her daughter's tiny body as she took her nap.

"Hey, Starbuck." A voice spoke from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder at him and grinned. "Hey, Helo."

He walked up beside her and gazed down at the sleeping child. "She really is beautiful."

"Yeah." Kara whispered. "I feel bad that you never got to see her. I mean, at least Sharon got to hold her once."

Helo reached down and moved a stray lock of brown hair from over Laura's eyes. "I see her everyday." He then looked straight at Kara. "You've done a good job with her."

"Really?" She questioned in surprise. "You don't think I'm turning her into a total brat?"

"No, I do." Helo laughed softly. "She's turning into you." He added, grinning widely. "But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing."

She smiled back at him softly and then closed her eyes in sadness. "I miss you."

"I know." He replied sincerely, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I miss you too. But I really haven't gone very far, and I'll watch over you for as long as you need."

She opened her eyes again and turned her head to look anywhere but at him. "Helo?"

"Yeah?"

She began reluctantly. "Is he…….is he all right?"

"Yeah, he's okay." Helo assured her, instinctively knowing who she was asking about. "You know, I had never met him, but I can see why everybody liked him so much."

"I know it must be hard for him." Kara added with slight guilt. "Seeing his brother and his fiancée—."

Helo stopped her, reaching out to turn her face back to him. "Jealousy, betrayal, resentment—those things don't really echo where we are." He smiled peacefully. "But even if they did, he would still be okay. He loves you guys; he wants you to be happy."

"Yeah." Kara replied firmly. "Yeah, he does."

"_Are_ you happy, Kara?"

She let her gleaming eyes tell him everything that she felt, but answered quite simply with her words. "Yeah."

She then bit her lip and her eyes narrowed as she scanned over his face in examination.

"What are you looking at?" He teased.

"Nothing." She answered unconvincingly. "It's just…….I was looking at your eyes. I thought they were blue, but they're not really, they're more hazel than anything else." She then turned back to look at Laura. "But I guess hazel can look like blue."

"My eyes are hazel, and Sharon's are brown." He paused, staring down at Laura as well. "It's not unheard of for two people with those colors to have a child with blue eyes."

"Guess not." Kara shrugged.

"But not _that _blue." He quickly corrected, noticing how Kara's face snapped back up at his statement. "Laura's eyes are _very_ blue. She has _Apollo's_ eyes, Starbuck…… and she has _your_ smile."

Kara sucked in a harsh breath. "She couldn't possibly, Helo." She whispered in disbelief. "That makes _no_ sense."

He chuckled softly, his voice and image fading away. "Gods, Kara, when has any of this _ever_ made sense?"

Kara came awake to the feel of an insistent finger poking against her shoulder. "Mama. Mama. Mama."

Kara groaned as she draped an arm over her face. "What, Laura?"

"I'm up from my nap now." Laura said simply as she stood next to the couch that Kara had been sleeping on.

"I can see that." Kara peeked over and laughed sleepily at the child. "Go back to sleep for another hour."

"Not tired." Laura shrugged as she began playing with the dogtags hanging off the side of Kara's neck. "Mama, only _kids_ are supposed to take naps." She told her.

"Yeah?" Kara questioned as she grinned at her daughter. "Get your father to stop assigning double shifts and I'll never fall asleep on the couch in the middle of the day again."

* * *

"Starbuck/Galactica." The com crackled as Kara flew the last quadrant of her CAP and Gaeta's voice came flooding into her cockpit. "Come in, Starbuck." 

"Galactica/Starbuck." Kara responded quickly. "Go ahead, Mr. Gaeta."

"You need to return to Galactica immediately."

Kara jerked at the urgency in Gaeta's voice. "Lt., what's going—?"

"It's Laura." He answered, knowing that those two words would be all she would need to hear.

Kara flipped her Viper toward Galactica and was on the flight deck in three minutes. Tyrol only had to say the word "sickbay" and she sprinted out of the hanger at a frantic speed, not even taking off the metal collar of her flight suit.

She entered sickbay in total disarray, breath heavy and uneven, sweat dripping on her face and making her hair cling to her head. She saw two medics that only seemed vaguely familiar standing over a med-cart. "Where's my daughter? What's going on with her?" Kara asked in a trembling voice.

One of the medics absently looked up at her from her clipboard. "Oh, Captain Thrace, Dr. Cottle's in the other room, he'll want to talk to you in a moment." She then went back to cataloging the drugs.

Kara slammed her hand down on the cart, causing the pills to bounce up into the air. "I didn't ask you where Cottle was or if he wanted to talk to me! I asked you were my daughter was and what was happening! And you better frakking give me a straight answer or I swear I'll—."

"Captain Thrace?" A gentle voice called in slight admonishment. "I thought we had an agreement that you wouldn't threaten sickbay personnel anymore."

Kara turned around and saw Nurse Coaker staring at her, her arms crossed in front of her; a friendly, but disapproving look on her face.

"They wouldn't tell me what—."

"They don't _know_ what." Nurse Coaker responded calmly. "They're just cataloging the medicine." She gestured for Kara to follow her into a curtained off area. "Laura's stable now. She's in here."

Coaker held back the curtain so that Kara could walk through. Kara gasped when she saw her daughter lying asleep on the bed with sensors taped to her temple and two men standing over her. "What the frak is _he_ doing here?" She hissed to Cottle as she pointed at the other man.

Cottle looked at Baltar where he stood on the other side of the bed. "He's here because I _needed_ him to be." Cottle answered unapologetically as he held Laura's wrist to time her pulse rate. "Laura was very sick and I had no idea how to treat her, or even what medicines would be effective in her situation. Doctor Baltar is the resident Cylon expert; I thought he would know better than I would."

Kara clamped down her agitation at having Baltar in the room, because she knew that Cottle was right, Baltar _did_ know more about Cylons than anyone else. She would push aside all other feelings she might have towards him if he would help her daughter. "Fine." She uttered through clenched teeth as she took over Baltar's place beside Laura's bed and gently caressed her head. "What's wrong with her?" She asked in a child-like whisper.

Cottle looked at Kara, his eyes reluctant and concerned. "She had a seizure."

Kara numbly shook her head in denial. "She doesn't have seizures. She's perfectly healthy." Kara looked up at him and bit her lip in pain. "She's a perfectly normal child."

Cottle also shook his head, but this time to refute what she just said. "You and I both know that's not true." He said softly, remorseful that he had to correct her. "She's _not_ normal."

Baltar finally spoke up in a methodical tone. "She is developing at an astronomical rate, not giving her neurons and motor functions time to adjust to the irregular growth. I'm astonished she made it this long without experiencing any ramifications from her abnormality."

Kara shot him a simmering glare at the cold, technical way in which he spoke.

"How can you talk about her like that, Gaius?" Six asked sorrowfully as she stood beside Cottle, gazing reverently at Laura's sleeping face. "Our daughter is sick. Aren't you humans supposed to be compassionate? Don't you _feel_ anything at all?"

Baltar closed his eyes and his voice dropped to gentle and considerate. "Her poor body and mind are both growing faster than she can keep up with, and the seizure is just their way of crying out."

Kara nodded at Baltar in hesitant gratitude. At the same time, Six looked at him desperately. "Will she be okay?" The women asked simultaneously.

"I think your daughter will be just fine." He answered both of them.

Cottle spoke up. "We did a scan on her, and so far we can't see that there will be any permanent damage, but that might change if—." Cottle stopped when he heard a commotion outside in the main area.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Lee's voice shouted from the other side of the curtain.

"In here, Lee!" Kara called out to him; stroking her daughter's hair.

Lee pulled back the curtain and quickly came to stand next to Kara, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Gods." He whispered to himself, his other hand reaching out to touch Laura, but pulling back, fearful that she might break. "The message said she had a seizure. Is she okay?" He looked up at Cottle pleadingly.

Cottle nodded. "We think she'll be okay…… for now." He paused as he tried to find a way to say this gently. "But as I was just trying to tell your wife, if the seizures continue, we'll have to reevaluate that prognosis."

"Why is she unconscious?" Lee asked Cottle as he finally took Laura's little hand in his own.

"Seizures are very traumatic experiences." Baltar answered instead. "Her body needs time to recuperate."

Lee finally noticed Baltar standing in the room with them. "What the frak is _he_ doing here?"

Cottle snorted and shook his head. "Do the two of you share a damn brain?" He gestured at Kara and Lee. He then sobered. "Laura's also unconscious because of the medicine we gave her to stop her tremors. She should be awake in a few hours." Cottle then looked to the monitor that recorded her brain activity. "We'll keep her overnight to see if there is a recurrence, but if there isn't……she can go home."

"What will you do to stop them from coming back?" Lee asked.

Cottle looked regretful. "There isn't anything _to_ do. If it were simple epilepsy, we would have some recourse to prevent the seizures—but it's _not_ simple epilepsy." He took a noticeable breath. "You've been lucky so far, but I think you might have to adjust to the fact that this may be a permanent fixture in your lives now."

"Dr. Baltar?" Nurse Coaker said as she pulled back the curtain. "I have those lab results that you asked for."

"Thank you." Baltar responded, and then walked away from the area to examine the folder that she held out for him.

"And Captain Adama?" Coaker added, looking at Lee. "The Admiral is on the line for you."

Lee looked to Kara for permission, and she nodded. "Go. Tell him what's going on. I know that he's frakking terrified."

Lee tucked a sweat-dampened strand of hair behind her ear and then left to get the call. When he pulled back the curtain and walked out, Kara saw someone sitting in the opposite corner of sickbay that she hadn't noticed when she walked in, oblivious in her frantic state. She stared for several seconds.

Cottle noticed her line of sight and looked to the person as well. "She was amazing, Captain." He told Kara. "When they brought Laura in, even the marine was crazed, but the Petty Officer just told us what had happened in as controlled a voice as I've ever seen. It helped tremendously in your daughter's diagnosis and treatment."

Kara left Laura's side and walked to the corner. Dualla stood up from her chair and without preamble, Kara hugged her tightly.

Dee froze, at first startled by the open display of emotion, but she then relaxed into the embrace and patted Kara's back. "Everything's gonna be alright, Starbuck."

"Thank you." Kara whispered and then stood back. "I'm so glad you were with her. Cottle said that you handled it really well."

Dee snorted. "Maybe on the outside, but don't worry, the nervous breakdown will come tonight when I get back to my bunk."

Kara nodded in understanding. "What exactly—?"

"She was sitting on the floor of your quarters, putting together a puzzle." Dee began, her hands trembling slightly. "We were laughing and I got up to get a glass of water, but then I heard the laughing stop and when I turned back around, she was……" She took an unsteady breath. "I saw her shaking like that and something else kinda took over. I know I shouted for Corporal Venner, but then the next thing I really remember is being here in sickbay."

"Did anything happen, anything to bring it on?" Kara asked softly.

"No." Dee answered regretfully. "One second she was fine, the next she wasn't."

Kara felt an intense desire to sink down to the floor and curl up in a fetal position, but then realized that she was _the mother_; she was the one that had to be strong. So she locked her knees and stood firm. "Yeah, it really is amazing how things can change in an instant." She whispered in an agonized voice.

Dee almost felt like crying, seeing the Almighty Starbuck so broken over something that even _she_ couldn't fix. "I'm gonna……._go_." Dee said gently. "I have a feeling sickbay is gonna be overrun in a few minutes." She nodded to herself and moved to the door. "I just felt I needed to stay until you got here. But now that you _are_ here, I know she'll be okay."

"I'm sorry, Dee." Kara said apologetically, causing Dee to look back. "I'm sorry that you had to go through this right along with her."

"I didn't really have a choice, did I?" Dee smiled genuinely, true affection radiating out. "It's my duty. I am her godsmother, after all."

Kara watched Dee leave and then walked back to Laura's bed. Cottle was still there and he saw how Kara's internal guilt distorted her usually confident demeanor.

"Captain?"

"I should have been with her." She uttered in repentance. "What the frak was I doing flying CAP while my daughter was getting sick?"

"No one knew she was getting sick, it was instantaneous." Cottle assured. "And you were flying because it's your job, and you're very good at it."

"Hooray for me." She rolled her eyes disgustedly. "I'm a good _pilot_."

"Its part of who you are. And Laura loves you; she wouldn't want you to give up being Starbuck just so you could be her mother." Cottle's voice was confident as he spoke. "Even stay-at-home mothers can't be with their children 24 hours a day."

Kara shook her head in self-pity as she held Laura's hand. "She deserves better."

"She's _got_ better." Cottle replied firmly. "You're a good mother."

"Yeah." She said, the cynicism dripping in her tone. "Sure."

"I'm serious." He corrected. "Do you remember that first week you had her, when you were bringing her to sickbay every five minutes?"

"Yeah."

"You were shouting and agitated and…… well, I was frustrated and irritated and I remember that I said something—."

"_Yeah, that sure is one lucky kid_." She cut him off, quoting his past words verbatim.

He grimaced. "I know that you think I was being sarcastic and grumpy, because I usually _am_—but I was being honest." He gave her a small smile as she looked at him in surprise. "You should've seen the way you were making yourself crazy, Captain. You were completely frazzled; and it wasn't because of lack of sleep or because of being constantly assailed by a baby's crying." He paused to let it sink in. "You were frazzled because you thought your child was in pain, and you wanted to help her, but you didn't know how."

Kara nodded in confirmation of his assessment.

"Only parents feel that, Captain." He told her softly. "And only _good_ parents feel that as strongly as you did."

Kara felt a single tear slide down her cheek. "She just—my whole life, I've only ever taken care of _myself_……and I didn't even particularly do a very good job with that." She chuckled sadly. "I never thought I would ever feel this way about someone—like I'd walk a thousand miles on broken glass just to save her from one second of pain."

Cottle chuckled too. "I was terrified for this child at first, because you're…….well, because you're _you_," He paused when he heard Kara snort. "And because I used to think that Captain Adama had never met an emotion that he couldn't stifle or keep hidden." He paused again as he heard Kara outright laugh this time. "But you're both different than I thought you would be. You should see your husband when he brings her in for her tests. He holds her hand the whole time—except for when she's in the machine and he can't. Then he just sits in a chair, chewing his nails until the scan is over." Cottle smirked as he looked down to Laura. "He wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to this little girl, and he doesn't care who knows it."

"We're doing the best we can." She whispered softly, looking to him for approval.

"Your best is very good." He told her as he walked to the exit, before turning to face her again. "And just so that there can be no doubt, I mean it when I say—_that sure is one lucky kid._"

She stood for several seconds after he left, then grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it to the bed. She sat, still holding Laura's hand and then put her head down next to her daughter's sleeping body. "Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer..."

* * *

"LAURA! What did I ask you to do not five minutes ago?" Kara shouted at her daughter from where she was lying underneath a Viper. 

"Stop running around the flight deck." Laura answered simply as she skipped around the hangar.

"Well, could you, ya know…… _obey_ me?" Kara called back as she poked her head out.

"I'm bored, Mama." Laura said as she ran back to stand beside the plane that Kara and Tyrol were working on.

"I'm almost done here." Kara told her apologetically.

"How much longer?"

"It wouldn't be that much longer if you'd stay close by so that I wouldn't have to look around to check on you every two seconds."

"Fine." Laura pouted. "But I'm really boooorrrreeddd."

"Chief, do you have that wire for the—?" Kara asked as he instinctively handed her the item before she finished her thought.

Tyrol lowered his voice. "If she's bored, why don't you let her go somewhere else? I could get Cally to take her—."

"I'm not letting her out of my sight." Kara told him determinedly, cutting off his suggestion.

"If you plan on doing your job, you're gonna have to let her out of your sight eventually." He pointed out as he squatted down and looked at the undercarriage.

"I realize that." She said defensively as she turned the wrench in her hand. "And I'm sure I'll get over this frantic feeling soon, but she just got out of sickbay four days ago, so you'll excuse me if I'm feeling a little over-protective."

"No need to get up in arms, I'm just saying that—." He was cut off as they both heard a crash from across the deck. They looked over to see Laura sprawled out on the floor.

"Frak." Kara shouted as she flew out from underneath the plane and ran toward her. Tyrol and Cally were close behind.

Corporal Wilkes was already at Laura's side when Kara got to them and knelt down. She knew that she hadn't had a seizure when she saw that Laura was conscious and whimpering. "I told you to stop running around." Kara admonished Laura. "What happened?"

"She tripped." Wilkes responded.

"I fell." Laura cried as she sat up. "Stupid floor!"

"Oh yeah, it was the _floor's_ fault that you fell down." Kara scoffed. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you were running across it like a crazed person, would it?"

"No." Laura pouted, the tears forming in her eyes. "It was the floor's fault."

"Is she okay?" Tyrol asked as he stood leaning over her.

"She's fine." Kara confirmed as she looked at the abrasion on Laura's elbow. "It's just a scrape."

"It hurts, Mama." Laura whined as she looked down at her wound.

"I know it does, but you're just gonna have to shake it off." Kara responded, looking back up at her and smiling sympathetically. "Okay?"

Laura nodded. "But it hurts, Mama."

"You said that already." Kara winked at her.

"And I'm bleeding. So, I must be human, right?" Laura asked simply, looking into her mother's eyes. "If I'm feeling pain, I must be human. Because humans feel pain; they have no choice."

Kara shut her eyes at the familiar words and then pulled her hand away from Laura's arm as if she had just been scorched. Leoben's bloody and bruised face flashed in her brain and she had to shake away the image. She opened her eyes again and saw Laura wiping the tears off her cheek.

Laura looked at her and touched her own scrape, a small smear of blood getting on her finger. "Will I be okay?"

Kara nodded and forced a smile, her heart still beating rapidly. "Yeah, nothing's broken."

Cally spoke up. "Should I get her a bandage from the first aid kit?"

Laura's face perked up at the question. "I want one of the purple ones from sickbay that they put on me when they take my blood."

"We don't have any of those." Tyrol smiled. "All we have are regular bandages."

"Will you go get me one?" Laura grinned at Kara. "Please, Mama?"

"I'm not going all the way to sickbay when we have perfectly suitable bandages right here." Kara told her.

"But, look Mama, I'm _hurt_." Laura gave her a puppy-dog face as she held up her elbow to show off her injury. "See the big ol' scrape on my poor little elbow?" She pouted playfully.

Kara laughed out loud, now smiling genuinely. Cally also chuckled and the Chief shook his head in amusement. "Oh, she's _good_." Tyrol smirked, looking at Kara.

"Fine." Kara conceded as she patted Laura's knee and then stood up. "I'll go get you one. Stay here……and _behave_ this time."

Kara left and Tyrol walked over to the other side of the deck when he saw that a Raptor from the Pegasus had docked and several of its pilots were filing out. Cally sat down next to Laura and they began telling each other jokes, both laughing out loud at the punch lines.

For several minutes, Captain Taylor, the Pegasus CAG, stayed next to Tyrol, going over an equipment manifest. But when the Chief walked away from him to retrieve something, Taylor looked over at Laura and Cally, and then slowly made his way over to where he was about fifteen feet from them.

The look on his face was cold and unforgiving as he spoke. "Are you Laura?"

Laura was pulled away from her conversation with Cally when she heard her name. She stayed on the floor as she looked up at him. "Uh-huh." She smiled in response. "What's your name?"

The laugh Taylor let out was filled with revulsion. "So it asks questions, I see." He hissed as he looked to Corporal Wilkes. "Man, they did a pretty good job with it. I can almost see why you people think that it's a little girl."

"I am a little girl." Laura answered innocently.

"_Sure_." Taylor mocked.

"Chief!" Cally shouted to Tyrol, who came striding toward them when he saw Taylor's close proximity.

Corporal Wilkes tightened the grip on her rifle and took a step forward. Cally pulled Laura up from the floor and stepped away slightly, shielding Laura from Taylor's view.

Taylor moved a little closer and Wilkes blocked his way, her gun held up across her chest. "I'm gonna have to respectfully ask you to step back, Captain."

Taylor looked the Corporal up and down with derision. "Get out of my way."

"_Sure_." Wilkes mocked back at him in the exact tone he had just seconds before. "That's gonna happen."

Tyrol stepped to where he was standing beside the marine. "Everything alright?"

"No. Everything is _not_ alright." Taylor seethed in response, pointing at Laura. "Nothing will ever be alright as long as that thing is still around."

Tyrol shook his head. "Hey, man, you're gonna wanna stop." He put a strong hand on Taylor's chest. "Right now."

"Breathing our air, eating our food, running around this ship like she _belongs_ here." Taylor shouted.

From several feet away, Laura put her hands over her ears. Cally just lifted her chin in defiance of what Taylor was saying.

"You're going back to your ship." Tyrol told him through clenched teeth as he shoved his shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere." Taylor took another step forward, but instantly found the barrel of Wilkes's gun pressed against his chest.

Taylor then got a distressed look on his face and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. He started to try to speak, but he could only manage to move his lips; no sound coming out. His hand reached up to roughly clasp his upper arm. Right before he collapsed to the floor.

* * *

Admiral Adama was in sickbay less than twenty-five minutes after the call had come in to Colonial One. He entered and quickly caught the attention of Doc Cottle, who pulled himself from his conference with the nearby nurse and walked to the Old Man. 

"Message said that there was an altercation on the flight deck between Laura and the Pegasus CAG." Adama said in lieu of a greeting. "And that both of them were hurt."

Cottle shook his head. "That message was misleading." Cottle verified. "Laura was hurt beforehand, she was playing and she scraped her elbow. Taylor didn't hurt her."

"So, there was no altercation?" Adama questioned, totally confused.

"There was _almost_ an altercation. But Taylor never got a chance to do anything." Cottle then pointed to a curtained section. "He's now in one of our beds."

"The guard physically subdued him?" Adama asked in disgust.

"Didn't have to." Cottle answered, his eyes almost twinkling. "Taylor had a heart attack."

Adama swallowed loudly. "A heart attack?"

Cottle snorted in amusement and nodded. "Lately, it seems like the people that try to hurt your granddaughter have been mysteriously falling ill."

"Where's my family?" Adama looked around. "I thought they'd still be here."

"Laura was barely injured. We put a bandage on her scrape and she was fine." Cottle calmed him. "And for safety reasons, I thought it was best that your son and daughter-in-law not be in sickbay anymore."

"Why?" Adama asked, suddenly concerned. "IfTaylor's confined to a bed—."

"For _Taylor_'_s_ safety." Cottle smirked. "I didn't personally hear what Captain Adama said, but I believe the gist of it was '_Son of a bitch ever tries to come near my daughter again, I'll tear his tongue out with a pair of pliers'_."

Adama also smirked, and then turned to catch a glimpse of Taylor as the nurse pulled back his curtain to enter. "Doctor Cottle, do heart attacks hurt?"

"Yes." Cottle chuckled. "They hurt very much, Admiral."

Adama nodded to himself. "Good."

* * *

Taylor opened his eyes as he heard the curtain slide back. The nurse strode in, then pulled the curtain shut again and moved to stand beside his bed. "Nurse Coaker." He greeted her. "Good to see you again." 

"Wish I could say the same, Captain Taylor." She responded coldly, not looking at him as she opened up a medical kit. "I have to insert this catheter in your arm."

"Fine." He told her, presenting his arm to her. "Insert away."

She got an alcohol pad and began rubbing his skin with it. "You know, there's another pilot here on Galactica with the callsign Stinger. He was a civilian, but then he was recruited about eight months ago." She threw the pad into a bin. "He hasn't been flying for very long, so he's not half the pilot you are." She then pulled out a syringe and uncapped it. "But he's twice the _officer_………….and ten times the _human being_. Although, really, how impressive is it to be ten times the human being _you _are?"

"Is this gonna hurt?" He asked inattentively, ignoring her words.

"No." She said just as she roughly jabbed the needle into his arm.

"Frak!" He hissed in pain at her. "I thought you said it wasn't gonna hurt!"

"I'm sorry." She smirked icily. "I meant that it wouldn't hurt unless I _wanted_ it to."

"What exactly is your problem?" He seethed as he grimaced in agony.

"My problem is _you_. You've never had an ounce of humanity, have you?" She shook her head in disgust. "No wonder people call that ship '_The Beast'_. What else would they think with someone like _you_ representing it? There are hundreds of good people on that ship, but people like you make them ashamed to be from the Pegasus." She shoved the tubing in and listened to him wince again. "People like you are why I hide the fact that I'm a transfer."

"You feel more at home here on Galactica with the toaster-lovers?" He ridiculed.

"I feel it's my duty as a healer to warn you……………" Her voice was low, but firm. "You should stay away from that child; otherwise, a heart attack is gonna be the _least _of your worries." She winked hatefully. "Hold your arm straight for a half hour, I'll be back to check on you then."

She threw the used medical supplies in the bin and slid out of the area. Walking back to her station, she came face-to-face with Admiral Adama.

"You're a transfer from Pegasus?"Adama asked her without emotion.

"You overheard?" She questioned, already knowing the answer. He nodded. "Yes. I asked to be transferred to Galactica, right after our first combined battle with the Cylon fleet."

"Why would you want to come _here_?" His eyes were soft as he spoke.

"I was in the Pegasus sickbay the day that they refused to let Lt. Agathon in." She responded, the exact same softness in her eyes. "I made an oath to heal patients, not turn them away when I didn't like something that they'd done."

"I see." He whispered.

"The few people you've come into contact with are not indicative of everyone on that ship, Admiral." She told him seriously. "I was disgusted with a lot of the things we did after the attack—a lot of the crew was. Not everybody from Pegasus is evil, or heartless."

"You're Laura's favorite nurse." He mentioned. "She's told me so."

Nurse Coaker smiled. "Laura's a very sweet child. She brightens the entire sickbay whenever she comes in here for her tests."

Adama's facial features had not changed throughout the entire conversation, and he cast a cautious gaze back to where Taylor was resting. "You were the one that handed her to Kara, that very first day."

"Admiral?" Nurse Coaker spoke up. "You don't have to worry about me, just because I had once been on that—."

"I know." Adama stopped her from finishing. "I know you won't do anything, I have faith in you." He finally smiled gently at her. "And what you've just told me has allowed me to have faith in many more."

"I'm glad, sir." She smiled back.

He pointed to the exit. "I'm gonna go check on my granddaughter." He said as he started to walk away.

As he got to the door, Coaker called out. "Tell her I said hello."

Adama turned around and nodded. "I will."

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

"Power, pitch, yaw and roll." Laura answered as she sat on the couch next to her father.

"And why do we have to compensate for acceleration rate?" Lee asked her.

"Because if you didn't, the G-force would break apart the apparatus of the plane." She replied simply as she read through one of the books that Gaeta had gotten her about celestial navigation. "What is that?" She asked her father, pointing to a graphic on one of the pages.

"Some kinda astral-anomaly." Lee shrugged as he looked at the caption underneath. "A Habel void is what it says it is." He closed his eyes and exhaled, thinking of his next question. "What is the equation for—?"

"Force equals mass times acceleration." Laura mumbled absentmindedly, already knowing both what he was asking, and the correct answer. She then held the book up and pointed at the picture again. "Can this void fold over on itself? Distorting time? And what effect would the FTL have on its dimensional boundaries?"

Lee glanced over at Kara, who was sitting at the table going over flight rosters. She caught his look and her face grew puzzled.

"I don't know." Lee replied honestly, studying the page. "Astrophysics was never my strong suit. If it didn't directly affect the functions of the Viper, I guess I kinda glanced over it in flight school." He then looked back to Kara. "You were once an instructor; do you know the answers to Laura's questions?"

Kara snorted, returning to her papers. "No." She stated bluntly, shaking her head in amusement. But almost immediately, she looked back up, straight at Laura. "I could see about getting you another book, though."

"Don't bother." Laura sighed as she closed the book she was reading. "Another book wouldn't answer my questions anyway."

Kara and Lee exchanged another glance. "Okay, anyway……." Lee tried to change the subject. "What would the maneuverability be if the Viper was going to try to—?"

Laura cut him off again. "Are you talking about three dimensional? Or four?"

Lee stuttered as he tried to respond. "You can't do it in four dimensions, Laura; there are tangible aspects to flying—."

"Yeah," She pouted in frustration, tossing the book on the coffee table. "I _know_."

"Laura, don't get all snippy with your father." Kara cautioned her, tapping her pen on the table. "You were the one that wanted to know about this stuff."

"I _already know_ about this stuff." Laura sulked with her arms crossed over her chest. "I read the flight manual today while you guys were at work."

"The _whole_ flight book?" Lee questioned, totally dumbfounded. "Why?"

"I was bored." She answered, letting out a loud puff of breath. "And then I asked the Chief to show me where the stuff was on an actual Viper, and he did. That was better than just reading the book."

"Yeah." Kara said softly, in sympathy for her daughter. "I guess it _is_ better when you can see what you're learning about first hand."

"Can I go look at the navigational computers in CIC, just to see if they have anything more on those voids?" Laura asked hopefully.

Lee sighed, regret in his voice. "Laura, you know you're not allowed in CIC."

"Fine." She stated petulantly as she got off the couch and grabbed the book that Father Monseau had given her from the nearby desk.

"Where are you going?" Kara asked in concern when she saw Laura moving away.

"Obviously not very _far_." Laura muttered, brooding in self-pity.

Kara watched her go into their bedroom and slam the door behind her. She then turned back to Lee. "Is it just me, or has she gotten moodier than Tigh gets whenever his liquor cabinet goes dry?"

Lee nodded and then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Let's hope she gets over it soon."

* * *

"It's been five months since Zarek died and two since the thing with Taylor, Lee. And things have been going fine. We can't keep her locked up on this ship like a rat in a maze." Kara told him a week later as they set up the small table in their quarters to have dinner. "I just think you're resistant to it because you're afraid to not be living in a constant state of fear anymore." 

"Kara, it's a bad idea." Lee put down some napkins and walked to the sink to fill up a pitcher with water.

"If she went, we wouldn't have to keep taking opposite shifts so that someone could be with her. We could be off-shift at the same time, we could spend more time as a family." She stated as she followed him and reached up to get three glasses from the cupboard. "Why is it a bad idea?"

"She'd be on another ship for hours at a time; we wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her."

"We don't keep an eye on her now!" She responded as he walked back to the table. "At least four times a week we have to pawn her off on some poor, unsuspecting person who's just trying to get some peace and quiet during their off hours. At least this way, we'd be pawning her off on a child-care professional."

"But we _know_ the people that we're pawning her off on here. They're _our_ people." He replied as he put the pitcher down. "We don't know the people that you're talking about."

"I met with them." Kara said quietly. "They're very nice."

Lee froze and gave her an angry glare. "You _met_ with them?"

"Yes, I did." She answered simply.

He shook his head in angry disbelief and turned away from her, walking several paces.

"You wouldn't even take the idea seriously, Lee!" She defended. "I wanted to check them out. And guess what? They _do_ check out. Billy--President Keikeya, knows them because they worked with Roslin for close to ten years when she was Secretary of Education. That's why they survived—they were with her on Colonial One the day of the attack."

"So was Doral!" Lee shouted.

"They have records; certified and verified records. That's why Billy chose this particular school, because he trusts them implicitly. He would not let Laura _near_ them otherwise." She said calmly, in sharp contrast to his agitation. "I've met both of the teachers. They're experienced, they're nice…….and I want Laura to learn from them."

Lee shook his head. "I don't like it."

"She's bored _out of her mind_, Adama. Why do you think she's been acting like such a little brat?" Kara groaned. "We can't keep doing this to her. We can't keep filling her days with busy work and stupid children's books that she's already too advanced for. She needs to learn from real people."

"That's precisely my frakking point, _Thrace_!" He shot back. "She'd be around _real people._ She wouldn't be in her protected little bubble anymore."

"She'd still have the guards—but really, what are you afraid of? She'd be in a room with a teacher and a bunch of kids. I doubt that the kids are terrorists, and if another kid in the fleet was a Cylon, I'm sure we would have heard about it by now." She smirked at him.

"What if those kids—." He sighed and sank heavily into one of the chairs. "She's not normal, Kara. And kids are mean to other kids that aren't normal."

Kara sat down across from him and took his hand. "We've had to deal with a lot worse than mean kids picking on her."

Lee shook his head again and pulled his hand away. "Kara, I said it was a bad idea." He stated firmly as he stood back up. "Discussion over."

She sat there frozen in disbelief for a couple of seconds, watching him continue to set the table. She then stood up and broke into a condescending smile. "Did you just say '_discussion over'_………as if you thought that would actually _end the discussion_?" She chuckled, pointing to herself. "I'm sorry, have we not met?"

"I'm making a decision based on what I think is best for my daughter." He responded loudly as he went to the counter and got the trays of food.

"You just used the singular pronoun way too many damn times in that sentence!" She yelled back, gripping one of the chairs in anger. "There is no _I_ when it comes to _our_ daughter. _We_ make the decisions together!"

He walked back to the table and put the trays down. He lowered his voice when he saw Laura walk out of the bedroom and sit down in the chair that Kara had ahold of. "Not this time."

Kara narrowed her eyes at him and cocked her head in defiance. She then looked down at her daughter. "Laura, sweetheart, would you like to go to school?"

Lee's eyes got wide and his mouth hung open at the unmitigated nerve of her. "KARA!"

"Really, Mama?" Laura's face lit up in pure excitement. "Like, real school with other kids? I can go?"

"Yes." Kara responded.

"No." Lee responded at the exact same time.

"I would _love_ to go to school!" Laura shouted, ignoring her father's negative response.

Lee shook his head again. "Laura, wait—."

Laura jumped up from her chair and hugged Lee's waist. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you." She then looked at Kara. "When?"

"We have to set up some things so that you'll be safe. But you can start going the week after next."

"Where is it?" Laura asked as she disentangled from Lee and hugged Kara.

Kara kissed the top of her head. "The Greenleaf."

"Boy lives there!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, he does." Kara warned. "But this is _real_ school, not just you sitting around playing with your cat for eight hours a day. So get that idea out of your head."

Laura squealed with excitement and pulled back. "I'm gonna go see if I have enough paper and pencils and…………everything else I need." She was practically jumping up and down as she ran to the corner of the living area to check her supplies.

Kara stood where she was and Lee just shot her a look that could melt steel. "What are you doing?"

"Making a decision based on what _I_ think is best for _my_ daughter." She replied with a similar look. "Kinda came back to bite you in the ass, didn't it, Lee?"

His voice dropped as he looked over at Laura. "Do you know how heartbroken she's gonna be when I tell her that she can't go?"

Kara took the lids off the trays and sat down, popping a piece of bread in her mouth. "Then don't tell her that."

* * *

"You did it just to piss me off!" A loud voice was heard shouting through the closed hatch of the CAG's office. 

"Why would I do that?" An equally loud voice responded.

"Because you're still pissed at me because of the thing with Laura!"

"I don't use our personal life as a reason to get pissed at you professionally. I don't have to; you give me enough reason to be pissed at you while we're at work!"

Kat, Racetrack, Hotdog and Joker all stood around in the hallway outside the CAG's office, waiting for Lee and Kara to stop screaming at each other.

"Hotdog, get your ear away from the door." Racetrack hissed. "It's not like we can't hear everything that they're saying anyway."

Hotdog moved away from the door. "Well, I guess the honeymoon's definitely over."

"They never got a honeymoon." Kat shook her head. "They went from 1 to 100 in like, half a second."

"What happened to get them so mad at each other?" Joker asked.

"You know that order the CAG issued? About how we weren't going to use the Wahl maneuver anymore, and how nobody was to teach it either?"

"Yeeeaaaahhhh." Joker answered.

"Well," Racetrack continued. "Starbuck sort of………_ignored_ it."

Joker snorted. "Yeah, now I forget—does the CAG _like_ to be ignored?"

"You're not even listening to what I'm saying!" Lee's voice boomed through the wall.

"Obviously not." Kat chuckled as they all came closer to the door.

"I'm listening. I just think what you're saying is frakking STUPID!" Kara shouted in response.

The hatch opened suddenly and the four pilots quickly moved a few feet away. "I can't even talk to you when you're like this." Lee yelled, still looking back at Kara.

"So leave." Kara yelled back.

"Fine!" He shouted as he turned around and walked through the hatch, ignoring the people standing around it.

"Great!" She shouted as she stayed in the office. She then stomped to the hatch, screaming down the hall after Lee. "And find somewhere else to sleep tonight!"

* * *

At around 00:30 the next morning, Lee awoke to the feel of something gently stroking his arm. The next thing he noticed was the tickle of Laura's hair on his chin and the smell of it in his nose. He looked down to the child. She was still sound asleep, curled up next to him in her bed, her head on his chest. 

Then he heard Kara's voice. "I'm cold."

He looked over at his wife as she knelt by the bed, her hand the source of the maddening, but very arousing sensation that woke him up. "You need another blanket?" He asked.

The small lamp on the desk that they kept as a nightlight for Laura made it possible for him to see Kara as she rolled her eyes at him. "No. I need you to be in the bed with me."

"We had an agreement to never go to bed angry." He smiled slightly. "Silly me, I thought that meant that we would always resolve our arguments _before_ bed. Not just sleep in separate ones."

"I'm not angry, Lee." She whispered as she stroked Laura's head. "I just……. let her go to school, Lee."

He let out a loud breath and closed his eyes again. "Kara, what if she—she could have a seizure, she could get sick, there could be an attack on the fleet, she could get hurt—."

"There are a thousand different things that could happen." Kara tried to soothe him. "She's only had three seizures in two months and the marines know what to do if she has one. There's also a medic station on the Greenleaf that we'll inform of her condition. Epileptic kids go to school, Lee. It's not a condition that keeps them locked in a hospital for the rest of their lives. And yeah, there could be an attack, or she could get hurt, or sick—but that's true of any kid."

"I know I'm being annoyingly cautious about this," He began as he twirled a lock of Laura's hair in his fingers. "But if you could feel this constant………..I can't even describe it, it's like I'm on edge every second when it comes to her."

"_If_ I could feel it?" She snorted. "You think I _don't_ feel exactly what you do? But we need to get past it for Laura's sake."

"We'd be rubbing it in their faces; the kids at that school, their parents. What if they feel like she's the embodiment of everything that destroyed their lives?"

"There are thirty kids at that particular school, twenty-six parents. The teachers have spoken to all of them. They don't feel that way about her."

He reached up with his other hand and cupped her face. "You've really set the groundwork for this. You really want this for her, don't you?"

She nodded. "I know that hers is an unusual situation. But that's part of why I want it for her. She's growing up so fast, Lee. Who knows how long……….." She took his hand and entwined it with hers. "I know she's not a normal kid, but I want her to have some 'normal kid' experiences. I don't want the only memories of her life to be of this ship."

"We'd be taking a huge leap of faith." He said, and then watched her face split in a wide grin. He grinned right back. "But what else is new, huh?"

She leaned up and kissed him lightly. "Soooooo?"

"She can go." He confirmed, kissing her back. "I'm sorry I was being so stubborn about it."

She let her chin fall down to her chest. "And I'm sorry about ignoring your order; I'll try to show a little more respect from now on."

He chuckled lightly. "Are you telling me that you're going to _stop_ being an insubordinate pain in my ass?"

"Are you telling me you're going to stop being an inflexible, overbearing pain in _my_ ass?" She inquired in return.

"No."

"Then _NO_." She tugged on his hand and stood up. "Come to bed."

He smiled at her lustfully and tried to move off the bed, but Laura was unmovable from her embrace around him. "Laura? Sweetheart, you've gotta let me go." He sat up, but then winced because she had a firm grip on the chain of his dogtags that pulled at his neck. "Laura, you gotta let go."

Laura woke up slowly and loosened her hold on his body, but held staunchly to the chain. "What's going on?" She grumbled, irritated at having her sleep interrupted.

"Daddy's gonna sleep with me the rest of the night." Kara answered. "Let go of his dogtags."

"Can I have a set of tags too?" She asked as she let go and Lee got off the bed.

"Why do you want dogtags?" Kara chuckled.

"Because everybody else has them." Laura yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Maybe I could be a Viper pilot like everybody else in my family. Would I get a set of tags then?"

"Let's not jump the gun, little girl." Lee said as he leaned back down and kissed her forehead, tucking the blanket back around her. "But we could probably find you a spare set of tags if you really want them."

"Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight, Mama." She mumbled as she drifted off to sleep. "Love you."

Kara started to lead him back to their bedroom. "Will you tuck me in too?" She teased.

"Sure." He whispered hotly in her ear. "But if I get my way, you won't be _sleeping_ for the next couple hours."

* * *

"Hey, Grandpa." Laura smiled up from the table at the Admiral when she saw him come through the hatch of their quarters. Her mother was nearby, washing their breakfast dishes in the sink. 

Adama waved at Kara and then walked to where Laura was. "Hello, little Laura." He smiled back as he kissed her cheek and sat down next to her. "Are you ready for your first day of school?"

"Yeah." She laughed wearily. "I'm a little nervous, though."

He laughed slightly as well. "I know. I always got nervous too before I went to a new school. And then the day I started flight school, I was so nervous, my hands were shaking so much that I couldn't grip the pen. I kept thinking 'How will I ever prove to these people that I have the chops to fly a Viper if I can't even keep a firm grip on……….."

He trailed off as he saw Kara stop rinsing out the dishes and turn away from them, her whole body going rigid as his words registered in her ears.

"Grandpa?" Laura asked gently, concerned about the new silence in the room.

"Kara?" Adama said softly to his daughter-in-law. She cautiously turned around to face him, her face expressionless."Will you excuse us for a minute while I talk to Laura?"

Kara nodded and pointed to the bedroom. "I'll just be in there."

Adama watched her go into the other room and then looked back to Laura. "Your parents tell me that you've been asking for something; something that everybody else on this ship has, but that you don't."

The child's face grew puzzled as she tried to think of what he meant, and then she smiled slightly when she figured it out. "Dogtags." She told him.

"They say that you've told them you want to fly Vipers. Is that true?"

"Maybe." She shrugged. "It seems like it's a lot of fun. And everybody else in my family has done it."

"That's not a good enough reason."

"Why not?" She asked simply.

Instead of answering, he reached in his pocket. "I have something for you." He pulled out the object for her to look at.

"A set of dogtags!" She whispered in awe as she took them from his hand.

"Look at the name." He pointed.

She read the inscription. "Cadet Z. Adama." She looked back up at him. "Uncle Zak's."

Adama nodded. "Your uncle had passed flight school, so they issued him new tags the reflected his new rank." He took a breath to try to keep his face from distorting in pain. "And he sent me a letter, asking me to come to his graduation. He also told me in the letter that there was someone he wanted me to meet—."

"Mama." Laura finished for him.

"At the bottom of the envelope was his old dogtags. He told me that he wanted me to keep them, because he wasn't a cadet anymore. And he told me that he would make me……….." The Admiral lowered his head and whispered sadly. "That he would make me _proud_ of him."

"I don't get it." Laura said gently, laying her small hand on top of his. "Why are you sad?"

He looked back up at her. "He shouldn't have had to do _anything._ When you're family, pride should be unconditional."

Laura nodded. "I get it now."

"Laura, you don't have to be like us. You don't have to be anything other than what you _are_, little girl." He stroked her cheek with his thumb, smiling at her proudly. "What ever you choose to be, whatever you become……….your family will always love you."

She smiled back. "I know."

The Admiral took the chain from her hand and slipped it over her head. "Wear these tags and remember that." He stood up from the chair.

"Grandpa?"

"Yeah?" He looked back down at her.

"_Sooner or later, the day comes when you can't hide from the things you've done anymore._" She quoted his words from a long ago speech as she looked up at him. "What if that isn't always a warning? What if that's a _promise_………….that something _good_ is going to come our way?"

He smiled at her, letting the essence of her youthful faith wash over him. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Yeah." She nodded, returning the smile innocently. "It would."

"KARA?" He called out. "You can come out now."

Kara came back into the room a few seconds later and stood next to them at the table.

"Thanks for the dogtags, Grandpa." Laura told him as she traced the chain around her neck.

He kissed her on the top of the head. "Have a good day at school."

* * *

"Laura wants to have some friends from school over." Kara whispered into the darkness of their bedroom as they tried to get to sleep one night. 

"Why?" Lee asked. Kara could sense his apprehension from the way he tightened his hold on her.

"Because she's been going to that school for close to three months now, and after a less than perfect beginning, she actually _has_ friends." Kara replied candidly as she lifted her head off his chest and looked at his face. "It's what kids do, they bring their friends home and they play."

"Most kids don't live on a heavily fortified battlestar." He cautioned. "It might scare them."

"Would you stop being such a nervous little girl about everything?" Kara groaned. "Gods, who wears the pants in this marriage?"

"Well," He chuckled low in his chest. "Since I've only seen you wear a dress _once_, I'd have to say _both_ of us."

"Damn straight." She laughed as she shoved his shoulder. "The kids in her class have gotten used to being around military people; because of Laura's guards. And it'd just be one or two kids."

"Fine, she can have them over if their parents agree." He conceded. "But what would they do here?"

"Well………" She began hesitantly. "Do you remember what next week is?"

"Kara, I've worked 90 hours in the past five days. I don't even remember what _this_ week is."

"We'll have had her for a year." She answered simply.

"Oh." He whispered softly, surprised at that revelation.

"Maybe she could have a birthday, some kind of party." Kara whispered hopefully. "It'd be fun for her."

Lee took a deep breath. "I would love to give her a party. But—."

"What?"

"Wouldn't it………rub salt in an open wound?" He reluctantly finished. "It'd call attention to the fact that she's one year old, but looks like she's ten. What if it makes her self-conscious?"

Kara snorted and laid her head back down on his chest. "Lee, as long as she's getting presents, I don't think she'll mind."

"Okay, we'll have a party for her." He grinned as he traced his fingers up her back."First thing tomorrow, I'll start letting people know about it. That should give them enough time to wrangle up a present that's suitable for a little girl."

"When you tell them about the party, instruct them that she's not to get any dolls as presents." She said as she looked up again.

"Why?"

"Because she's _my_ child." Kara answered firmly. "And the child of Starbuck does not play with dolls dressed in frilly little dresses. It's unnatural." She tapped her index finger against his chin as he chuckled at her. "I'm serious. I want you to make it abundantly clear to everyone you invite that if someone gets her a doll, I'm tossing it out the airlock ………. and possibly shoving out the person that gave it to her as well."

* * *

"Can we have chocolate cake?" Laura asked as she sat on a sickbay bed after her weekly tests, waiting with her father for the nurse to tell her that she could go. 

"Well, I requisitioned the ingredients, but you usually need two weeks notice." Lee told her. "We're trying, but don't be disappointed if we can't get it before your party."

"Okay. Do you think we could—?" She stopped when the curtain was pulled back. "Oh. Hi, Doctor Baltar."

Lee looked over to see that Gaius Baltar was now standing with them and he nodded at the doctor in unemotional greeting.

"Hello, Laura." Baltar smiled. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine." She smiled back.

"Where's Cottle?" Lee asked nervously.

"Another patient just came in that needed some attention." Baltar said. "I was with him in the radiology lab, reading Laura's tests, and I told him that I would inform you of the results."

Lee again just nodded.

Baltar looked to Laura and winked. "Your tests were fine this week, you seem to be doing very well."

"Cool." She shrugged. She then looked out into the common area of sickbay. "Dad, can I go tell Nurse Coaker about my birthday party?"

Lee nodded yet again and Laura jumped off the bed.

"I hope you have a good birthday, Laura." Baltar said to her as she walked away.

She turned back and grinned widely. "Thanks, I'll be a year old."

Baltar watched her go up to the nurse and then he turned back to Lee, this time in full doctor mode. "She has some increased activity in her frontal lobe, but there's always increased activity in her frontal lobe, so that doesn't particularly surprise us."

It seemed all Lee could do in Baltar's presence was nod.

"Her last seizure was the one that she had three weeks ago?" Baltar asked.

Lee, of course, only nodded in response.

"And the headaches that she's been getting after that last episode, have they gotten any better?"

Another nod.

"So, the remedy that I created for her helped with the headaches?" Baltar inquired.

Lee nodded again, but this time worked up the nerve to speak. "Yes, it did. She felt much better after she took it." He then reluctantly added. "Thank you."

"Well, residual headaches after seizures are not unusual occurrences. And I was hesitant to give her any of the narcotics that sickbay keeps on hand. I didn't want her to have any sort of adverse reaction."

"Well, we appreciate everything that you've done to help her." Lee said grudgingly. "Can we go?" Lee added coldly, looking over Baltar's shoulder to keep an eye on Laura.

Baltar stepped out of Lee's way. "By all means."

Lee walked to Laura and they made their way to the door. "Bye, Doctor." Laura waved at Baltar.

He waved back as they made their exit. Six stepped up behind him and wrapped one arm around his chest, letting the fingers of the other hand thread through his hair.

"I doubt they'd be as appreciative if they knew that the headaches where an intentional 'adverse reaction' to a medication you secretly gave her when you treated her after the last seizure." She purred in his ear.

"Nothing that I gave her will cause her any permanent damage." He assured his sexy, invisible lover. "Those headaches brought her to sickbay four times in the last three weeks, and I was the only one that knew how to help her. That's four times that I was able to see our daughter when I otherwise would not have been able to."

"And the medicine you concocted as treatment for her headaches even managed to get you a little gratitude from Captain Adama." Six turned him around andsmiled lasciviously at him. "That is a miracle from God if I ever saw one."

"Well," Baltar grinned back with false humility. "You've always said that I was his instrument."

"Yes." She whispered as she traced his hairline. "So calculating, so willing to do whatever needs to be done." She then roughly yanked his hair so that he was looking straight in her eyes. "But know that if anything you do ever causes that child harm…………… you will suffer his unwavering wrath."

* * *

"Will it actually work?" Laura asked as she held up the short-wave com radio that Tyrol and Cally had given her, showing it to a school friend that was sitting next to her. 

"Well," Tyrol laughed. "The signal won't travel across the galaxy. But Cally and I rigged it—with Dee's help of course—." He said pointing to the two women. "So that if the EM interference is low that day, you might be able to talk to Galactica while you're at school."

"Only on breaks and at lunch." Kara cautioned Laura as she and Lee poured drinks for every one. "I'm not above taking it away if I find out you've been using during class."

Everyone was sitting or standing around a table in the rec room, talking and laughing and watching Laura's face light up as she opened her presents. Laura then looked at her grandfather and smirked. "Where's my present, Old Man?"

The Admiral looked around in confusion. "Was I supposed to get you something?"

"Very funny." Laura rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Hand it over."

Adama chuckled and picked her present up from the floor beside his chair. He then placed the brown-paper-wrapped item on the table in front of her.

She ripped into the paper. "Another book!" She stated happily as she looked at the cover. "Dark Day: by Edward Prima."

"Hey, that's a good book." Billy exclaimed, looking at the book as well. "I even think that President Roslin had—." He stopped as he looked to the Admiral and saw the bittersweet expression on his face. Billy then looked back to Laura and smiled sadly. "That's a good book, Laura."

"Little advanced for a one year-old, don't you think?" Tigh spoke up, snorting in amusement.

"Daddy, what does umbrageous mean?" Laura asked in response to Tigh's question as she thumbed through the book and found a passage.

"Doesn't umbrageous mean 'always present'?" Lee asked, looking to Kara.

Kara laughed as she took a drink from her cup. "You're asking _me_?"

"No, it's _ubiquitous _that means 'always present'." Laura retorted as she looked up at her parents.

Tigh snorted again. "So……..clearly _not_ too advanced for a one year old."

"Umbrageous means 'casting a shadow': making something dark and offensive." Adama finally answered.

Ethan, the school friend of Laura's that was sitting next to her, handed her a bag. "Open mine now."

Laura opened it and looked inside. "Oh, WOW." She whispered in amazement.

"There are only ten, so you have to make them last." Ethan smiled at her. "My dad knows a guy who works at one of the gift shops on Cloud Nine. That's where he got them."

"What are they, Laura?" Kara asked, looking at the bag.

"Suckers." Laura exclaimed happily, pulling one out and showing it to her mother.

Kara closed her eyes in sudden sadness at the sight of the familiar candy and set her cup down on the table. She then walked away without a word.

"What's wrong with your mom?" Ethan asked Laura, noticing how Kara was facing the wall, her shoulders slumped in sorrow.

"Helo liked suckers." Laura said simply, looking after her mother in concerned understanding.

Standing at the wall, Kara felt a soothing hand run up her back. "You okay?" Lee whispered as he brushed his lips across her temple.

"Uh-huh." She nodded, fortifying herself. "I didn't mean to ruin her party. It's just—."

"The party's not ruined, and you don't have to explain." He assured her. She smiled ruefully at him and they walked back to the table.

"What flavor do you want, Ethan?" Laura asked.

"You're gonna share them with me?" The boy responded in surprise.

"Sure, you're the one that gave them to me." Laura smiled. "But I get the orange ones. Those were always Helo's favorite."

Kara smiled at the comment and picked Laura up from her chair, sitting down in it before re-depositing the child on her lap. "Yeah, they were." Kara said, kissing Laura's cheek.

"You can open my gift next." Tigh said as he grabbed the box and presented it to Laura. "I hope its okay; I don't know what it is." He explained. "Ellen picked it up on one of her jaunts to the Rising Star." Tigh then shrugged. "She said it was something that a girl like Laura needed."

Laura untied the string and opened the box. Her mouth dropped open in shock and she hastily put the lid back on.

"What is it, Laura?" Dee asked curiously from the other side of the table.

"I don't wanna say." Laura said fearfully, pushing the box away. "Mama might hurt Mrs. Tigh."

Kara pulled the box back and took off the lid. When she looked down into it, her eyes got wide and then became blistering with anger. Inside, a small ceramic doll in a pink dress rested on yellow tissue paper.

"Alright!" Kara hissed, looking at Tigh. "Where is the bitch?"

* * *

"Night, little Laura." Lee said after he tucked her into bed later that night. 

"Night, baby." Kara added as she leaned down to kiss Laura's cheek.

They then started to walk to the door, but Laura's voice stopped them. "How long are you guys gonna keep this up?"

They turned around to face her, both smiling conspiratorially. "We don't know what you mean." Kara said, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

"Sure, you don't." Laura giggled in disbelief. "I'm tucked into bed, almost ready to go to sleep………..but I still know that you're not going to let my birthday end without giving me my present."

Lee grinned widely, pointing to the bedroom. "I'll be right back."

Kara came back over to sit on Laura's bed, pulling the child in next to her. "You really are too smart for your own good."

Lee came back in and handed Kara a package, keeping another one in his hands.

"Two?" Laura asked hopefully.

Lee nodded as he knelt by the bed. "One from me, one from your mother."

Kara presented her gift first and Laura took it out of the small box. "It's a music chip." Laura stated as she held it in her tiny fingers.

"It's a very special music chip." Kara corrected. "It's one of the things that I brought back with me from Caprica."

"When you went back to get the Arrow for the President?" Laura asked, already knowing the story.

Kara nodded. "It's a recording of your grandfather playing the piano. My father."

"I can have this?" Laura asked in a quiet voice, looking up into her mother's eyes.

"Uh-huh." Kara confirmed, smiling gently. "But you'll need to take extra special care of it. I went to a lot of trouble to go get that chip."

"But that wasn't the _only_ thing you brought back with you from Caprica." Laura stated.

"No." Kara agreed, tucking a strand of Laura's hair behind her ear. "It wasn't."

"I'll take really good care of it, Mama." She gingerly placed it back in the box. She then looked at her father.

Lee handed her his gift, wrapped in tissue paper. Laura pulled it off to reveal two photographs set in a double frame.

"How did you get these?" Kara whispered in amazement, looking down at the pictures.

"I can be quite resourceful." Lee smirked at her in response. He pointed to the first picture. "We took the memory stick from the guy's camera before we kicked him out. I kept it locked in the safe in my office."

"That's me." Laura giggled, pointing to the baby smiling happily in President Roslin's arms. "And that's my bear." She added as she pointed to the bear in the picture, and clutched the same bear tighter in her arms.

"And do you remember who the lady holding you is?" Kara asked her.

"Of course." Laura responded simply. "That's the President. She used to make me laugh." She then looked at her father. "I liked her."

Lee smiled sadly and then pointed to the next picture. It was of two pilots in flight suits, practically doubled over in laughter. "Those are your parents."

"Helo and Boomer." Laura whispered as she traced the image, she then looked up at Kara. "He had just told her the joke about an elephant, a mouse and a Raptor pilot."

Lee chuckled and Kara looked at him with utter awe etched on her face. He just shrugged. "It was a publicity photo from the decommissioning ceremony; the photographers went around getting random shots of the crew." He answered in response to Kara's unasked question. "Granted, this picture was a little harder to come by than the first one."

"But, Laura?" Kara began hesitantly, pointing at the Boomer in the picture. "You know that she's not your mother, right?"

"Yeah." Laura said, looking up at her. "_You're_ my mother."

"Yes, I am." Kara added proudly. "But what I meant was…………_that_ Boomer was not the same one that gave birth to you."

"They had the same memories, they loved the same people." Laura told her wisely. "And that's what makes you who you are. That's what makes you the _same_."

"That's an incredibly smart observation, little Laura." Lee smiled at her.

"Do I look like them?" Laura asked softly, looking at the faces of Helo and Boomer.

"Yes, you do." Kara nodded, examining the child curled up next to her. "You have Sharon's hair, and a little bit of her skin color, and your eyes are the same shape." She then pinched Laura's nose. "And you have Helo's nose." She then moved down to her chin. "And his chin."

"I do?" Laura asked, touching her nose and chin.

"Uh-huh." Kara laughed. She then stopped laughing and looked at Lee with such love shining in her eyes that when he caught the look, he had to take a steadying breath. "But you have the same color eyes as your father; the same gorgeous blue eyes." She smiled.

"You have your mother's smile." Lee added, giving Kara the same affectionate look. "The infamous 'Starbuck grin'. No wonder I let you get away with anything, just like her."

Kara continued. "And when you quirk your eyebrows up, and look at all of us like we're crazy? You look just like your grandpa."

"And sometimes, you'll let out this nervous, breathy giggle." Lee whispered, looking down at the picture of baby Laura and the President. "And when you do, I swear it's like President Roslin is in the room."

Kara hugged Laura tighter. "The other laugh you have? The loud cackle that you let out whenever someone tells you a good joke? That's the Chief's laugh."

Lee then reached up and touched Laura's cheek. "And these freckles on your face? Those look just like Cally's freckles."

"And last week, when you were singing 'The Boy on the Flying Trapeze' with Dee…….. you had the same voice as her." Kara finished.

Laura looked confused. "How can I be related to all those people?"

"You're not." Lee confirmed, placing a hand on her knee. "But they're your family."

"And they say that kids take on the traits of the people in their families." Kara told Laura as she stroked her hair. "Maybe that doesn't just apply to biological families."

_

* * *

__Umbrageous means 'casting a shadow': making something dark and offensive._

_If she retrieves the arrow……………She'll retrieve the arrow._

_They know who you are, Kara. You're special. Leoben told you that. You have a destiny._

………_we pray that when the time comes, you will be able to let her go………secure in the knowledge that she is loved……….._

_Love is your daughter's only purpose, Kara._

_Something ugly is coming. I can feel it._

Kara shot up in bed, the sheets around her drenched with sweat; shallow breaths escaping her lungs as rapidly as the frenzied beating of her heart.

"Just breathe, Kara."

Kara looked in the direction of the voice. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the form of her husband, sitting immobile at the foot of the bed.

She started to get out of bed. "Laura. I have to check on—."

"I already did." Lee muttered. He then stood and moved back up the bed, stopping her movements as he slid in next to her. "She's fine. She's asleep."

"I just had…………I don't know." Kara whispered as she put her face in the hollow of his neck. "I don't know what it was."

"It was a dream." He told her without emotion, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I had it too."

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**I fixed a portion of this chapter after several people who weren't my betas (thanks a lot guys, what am I paying you for anyway :P ) pointed out that my depiction of the care of seizure patients was flawed. When my Grandma's brother had them, they were told to hold him down. But then again, that was 60 years ago; they thought lobotomies were a good idea. I guess logic and modern medicine know better now. So don't do that in real life! Anyway, it's been fixed, and sorry for the irresponsible storytelling. --roofietoof**

* * *

The laughter coming from the rec room could be heard all the way down the corridor. 

"I still think its frakking—." Kara's laughing stopped when she glanced across the table and saw Laura's disapproving look pointed at her. "Sorry, _extremely—_hilarious that _you're_ the one trying to teach our daughter the finer points of Triad, Lee."

He chuckled as he examined the cards in his hands. "Well, I couldn't exactly let _you_ teach her; you cheat."

"Do not." Kara pouted.

Gaeta, Kat and Racetrack all instantly looked up from their cards when they heard her dishonest retort.

"Okay, I _do_." She smirked. "But I would never teach Laura my nasty habits, I'm trying to raise her as a _pure_ soul."

"I'll take one." Gaeta told Racetrack as she was dealing.

"Me too." Kara added, taking the card that Racetrack threw at her.

"Laura?" Lee looked across the table at his daughter. "Do you want one?"

"Nope." Laura replied, looking back at him from over the edge of her cards.

"Yes, you _do_ want a card." Lee corrected, groaning in exasperation. "But you have to trade yours for a different one when it's your turn. I explained that to you already."

"Lee, leave her alone." Kara admonished him. "She knows how to play."

"Well, obviously she _doesn't,_ because she's had three chances for a different card and she hasn't taken one yet."

"I don't want a different card." Laura shrugged. "I like the cards that I have. It's nice with all the different colors lined up." She went through the all cards in her hand. "I have red and green and blue and black……..and a pretty gold one too."

Everybody at the table groaned and threw down their cards. "I fold." Racetrack and Gaeta sighed simultaneously.

"Unbelievable." Kat said, shaking her head in defeat as she pushed her money toward the center of the table.

"What'd I do?" Laura asked innocently when she saw that everyone had stopped playing.

"Nothing, baby." Lee laughed. "All those different color cards……..that means you have 'Full Colors'. That's the best hand you can have."

"Really? So I win?" Laura put her cards face down and scooped up the pile of goodies from the center of the table. She then looked across it to her mother and smirked conspiratorially. "Was that believable, Mama?"

"Very." Kara smirked back and pointed to the pot. "Now remember, the deal was that you would split that with me."

Realization hit Lee like a thousand ton freighter and he reached across the table to pick up Laura's down-faced cards. He chuckled ruefully and held them up to show the others. "She didn't even have 'Two on a Run!"

Racetrack's mouth hung open. "She _tricked_ us?"

"She didn't do it alone." Lee stated, throwing down the cards and looking at Kara accusingly. Kara and Laura both dissolved into a fit of laughter.

"What ever happened to not teaching her to cheat?" Gaeta shouted in amused offense.

"I _didn't_ teach her to cheat." Kara shot back, chuckling. "I taught her to _bluff_."

"STARBUCK!"

"Hey." Kara held up her hands. "It's not my fault that you let her youthful purity blind you to her true deviant nature."

"You're totally corrupting her." Lee reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Kara's ear before he kissed her shoulder. "Seems like just last month she was giggling hysterically as she dangled a piece of string in the air for her cat to paw at."

Kara pulled back and smiled sexily. "That's because it _was_ last month, Lee."

"I want to play again." Laura said.

"Nope, we can't." Lee told her, still gazing lustfully at Kara. "You have homework to do."

"I already did it." She replied.

Kara and Lee broke their gaze and turned to her. "Did you _actually _do it, or are you just telling us that you did so you can stay and play another round?"

Laura picked up her schoolbag and put it on the table. "I have it here. You can check it if you want."

"Yeah, why don't I do that?" Lee said as he got the homework out of the bag and set it in front of him. He studied it for about a minute and then shook his head in futility "This means absolutely nothing to me. I don't even know………………what subject is this?"

"Chemistry." Laura answered.

"They're teaching chemistry in the fifth grade?" Racetrack asked in disbelief.

"She's not in fifth anymore." Kara replied hesitantly. "They, um………..they moved her up to _eighth_ grade two weeks ago."

"I studied chemistry in college." Geata interjected. "I could take a look at it if you want."

Lee handed the paper over to Geata, who examined it thoroughly. "Okay, Laura? This is wrong." He said pointing to an equation. "It's impossible."

She came over to stand beside his chair and looked at what he was pointing to. "Not if you do it as a triple covalent bond." She corrected.

"But the compound consists of two elements that are polar opposites in terms of electronegativity." Gaeta retorted. "They can't have a _single_ covalent bond, let alone a _triple_."

"If you use the electron from here—." Laura said, taking a pencil and starting to draw. "You can use the reverse electron from its twin and then………….See? Like that." She finished her diagram and set the pencil down. "Just because it's never been proven in any practical way, that doesn't mean it's _impossible_."

Gaeta sat there in stunned silence for a moment, staring at what she had drawn. "That's actually really impressive, Laura." He then looked up at her. "Theoretically it's possible. But you're not following the set laws of chemistry, so I don't think your teacher will be as impressed." Gaeta then turned to Lee and Kara with a strange look on his face. "As a matter of fact, unless the teacher has a master's degree in chemistry……I doubt she'll even _understand_ it."

Laura just shrugged and put her homework back in her bag. "Then that's her problem." She then looked at her parents. "So, since I've finished my homework, can we keep playing?"

Lee exhaled. "Sorry, but NO. We need to go eat dinner."

Kara settled up with Racetrack and then smiled at Laura. "What do you wanna have, little girl?"

"I was thinking we could have tarragon noodles."

"But you hate tarragon noodles." Kara said in surprise at the suggestion.

"I do." Laura confirmed. "But they're Dad's favorite, so I thought it would be nice if we had that for dinner—since he's had a bad day."

Kara looked at Lee with concern. "Did you have a bad day?"

"I did, actually." Lee replied wide-eyed, looking over at Laura. "How did you know that?"

"I heard some of the pilots talking." She answered. She then got an inquisitive look on her face. "Mama, what did Hotdog mean when he said that '_maybe if Starbuck got down on her knees more often, Apollo wouldn't be in such a bad mood all the time._'?"

The liquid that Kat had been drinking shot out of her nose, Racetrack was practically crying as she bit back a loud cackle, and Gaeta buried his head in his hands to hide his amused expression. Lee merely sat frozen in his chair with his mouth hanging open in shock.

Kara just closed her eyes and shook her head in insulted disbelief. "Praying." She choked out, clearing her throat. "He meant praying." She then stood up and gathered up Laura's things to make a hasty exit. "Let's go."

Lee got up from his chair and put his hand on Laura's shoulder, steering her to the hatch. But before he left the table, he looked to Racetrack and lowered his voice. "Tell Costanza I want to see him in my office first thing tomorrow."

* * *

When Petty Officer Dualla entered the Admiral's quarters, she had to smile at the familiar sight. Only a few lamps, including the one at the desk where the Admiral sat, were on, and the room was cast with a distinct orange glow. She let out a small laugh when she came closer and saw him deep in thought as he detailed a model wooden ship. 

He looked up at her and gestured to the chair. "Have a seat, Dee."

"I'm either having extreme déjà vu, or you planned this; some sort of symbolic gesture?" She grinned as she sat in the chair beside the desk. "You asked to speak to me?"

"Yes." He smiled in return and then went back to brushing varnish on the delicate wood of the mast. "And if I was trying to be symbolic, it was a subconscious attempt. But—."

"But?"

"But it's fitting, you know?" He uttered quietly, setting down his brush. "The last time I spoke to you like this, you opened my eyes. You allowed me to see certain truths about the direction in which my family was headed. And you forced me to swallow my pride and lay open my heart……….so that I could set them back on the right path."

Her eyes glimmered with pride that he held such faith in her. "What's on your mind, sir?" Dee whispered.

Adama turned to look at her. "Laura." He answered simply.

She took in a deep breath. "I figured as much."

"I've been having dreams." He admitted, letting his eyelids drop. "And so have Lee and Kara."

"I know."

His eyes jerked up to hers. "They told you about them?"

"No." She let out the breath. "I've been having them too."

The Admiral did not seem shocked at her revelation. "Laura knows things, things that she shouldn't know." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Things that happened before she was born, or things that happened while she was alive; but happened to other people."

Dee only replied with one word. "Yes."

"It's not even like she knows these things through visions, or some sort of streaming psychic connection, she just—."

"Knows them." Dee finished. "The memories live inside her like they were hers."

Adama nodded. "At first I thought it was because of her Cylon half, that she was downloaded with some sort of—."

"She wasn't." Dee interjected, leaning over to place a hand on his arm. "It's not a software program. The memories, the knowledge that she has………….they're not Cylon memories or Cylon knowledge."

"It's all human." The Admiral agreed. "President Roslin, Colonel Tigh, Chief Tyrol, Lee, Kara, you, myself, Helo—."

"Everyone."

He put his glasses back on and smiled self-deprecatingly. "I was hoping you could now impart some of the wisdom that lit a fire under me before and got me on a Raptor to Kobol to put my family back together. Because the other woman I used to turn to for insight isn't here anymore to guide me, and I find myself quite lost."

Dualla then did something he found very strange; she laughed so hard that she placed a hand on her chest and doubled over in her seat. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not laughing at you." She choked out. She took several calming gulps of air and finally could speak clearly. "It's just………I find myself lost 99.9 percent of my life, so I'm not really sure you should be speaking to me."

"Then maybe we could just be lost together." Adama answered seriously. "We could actually ask out loud……. some of the questions that we've only been asking in our heads."

Dualla sobered instantly, voicing a question of her own. "Like is there a balance?" She looked down to her hands where they rested in her lap. "There is where Laura is concerned." She answered her own question. "But it's a tentative one, because the line between human and Cylon was blurred beyond recognition when she was born."

"She is _both_." Adama agreed. "We would like to lie to ourselves that she is completely human, but all we have to do is look at the young woman she's become—and then realize that she's only been alive fifteen months—to see that she _isn't_."

"But that doesn't mean she's tainted, sir." She paused when she saw the anguished look flash across his face. "Neither one of her ancestors is completely _good_—but neither one is completely _evil_ either." She thought for a good long moment, and her voice was quiet when she finally spoke. "It's true that the Cylons slaughtered an entire civilization, and that was wrong. But if we were to believe that children are punished for the sins of their fathers, then maybe the human race deserved to be wiped out for the things that _we'd_ done. And personally, I'd rather not believe that."

"There is no black and white." Adama added, looking to her for assurance.

"But gray can be quite beautiful." She put her hand on his arm again. "I hate to point this out, but you haven't actually asked any questions yet. So I'll do it for us:" She closed her eyes. "How can we fight so hard for the continued existence of someone that was never supposed to have existed in the first place? Because she _wasn't_, Admiral; her father was human, but her mother was a machine. How can you get a child from that? That wasn't supposed to happen." Dee shook her head slightly. "How can Laura be sitting in front of us, smiling, laughing, and crying? How can we love her so much, even when we know what she is? And how are we supposed to help her when she begins to struggle to find the balance between human and machine……….. inside herself?"

"Those _are_ the questions that I've been asking in my head." He confirmed sadly.

"But I think the most important question you've been asking yourself is: How can someone so blended………..be so _pure_?"

He placed his hand over hers where it rested on his arm, but he lowered his head and nodded.

"I don't know the answers to any of these questions, Admiral." Dee regretfully told him and smiled slightly when he looked to her eyes again. "So, I guess the only wisdom I can impart upon you is that……. maybe these questions are _supposed_ to stay unanswered."

* * *

Kara sat in Doc Cottle's office in a detached trance, listening to the sound of her own breathing and the tapping of her finger against the arm of the chair. The only thing that brought her out of her inner thoughts was the creak of the door opening behind her. She smiled slightly as Cottle sat down at his desk, but he did not return the smile. She saw his apologetic eyes scan over her where she sat across from him. 

"You're the one that wanted to run these tests, Doc. Not me." She said. "If it's bad news, just come right out and tell me."

He looked down at his desk to where he had laid his file. "I wanted to do the tests to see if anything has gotten better."

"But nothing has." It was a statement, not a question.

"No." He said almost inaudibly, before raising his voice again. "If anything, it's gotten worse. The one ovary that you have left is non-functioning, reproductive wise. It's still producing hormones, but none of the ova that we tested were viable." He took a deep breath. "The chances of you having a child are practically non-existent."

"I already have a child." She answered without hesitation.

"You've only had Laura for a little over fifteen months, and she already looks like a young teenager. She won't be a child for much longer."

Kara shook her head. "That doesn't matter." She replied, her eyes firm. "She's _my _child."

Cottle closed the file on his desk and leaned back in his chair. "You know, there are some who believe that raising and loving a child that _wasn't_ born to you…….. isn't the same as raising and loving a child that _was_."

Kara nodded, closing her eyes. "They're right." She then smiled wistfully. "In some ways, it's _better_."

* * *

The first thing Tigh noticed as he walked down the corridor to the Admiral's quarters was one of Laura's guards standing outside the hatch. He nodded in greeting and the guard knocked for permission to let the Colonel in. 

"Come in." Adama's voice shouted through the door.

Tigh opened the hatch and entered the room, smiling when he saw the Admiral sitting on one side of the desk and Laura on the other side. Both had pens in their hands, both were doing paperwork.

"Hello, Laura." Tigh said.

Laura looked up and smiled. "Hey, Colonel."

"What do you need, Saul?" Adama asked, looking up as well.

Tigh put down the folders on the desk. "These need your authorization. And Captain Watson in Navigation needs you to make a visual approval of the revamp they're doing on the old tracking computers."

"This is the revamp with the hardware from the Pegasus?" Adama inquired.

"Yep." Tigh smiled slightly. "Watson and the boys in Nav. know how you feel about computers, and they just want to make sure that you're onboard before they finish the project."

"Cause Grandpa doesn't _like_ computers." Laura sang in a melodic voice.

"I'm fine with computers as long as they're not being used against us." Adama told her, before looking back to Tigh. "Can it wait? I need to stay with Laura for a couple more hours."

"Yeah, no big rush." Tigh replied. He then sat down in one of the chairs and affably turned to Laura. "Why are you bothering the Old Man?" He smirked. "Why aren't you in your quarters, little girl?"

Laura looked up from her homework and smirked back at him. "Do I still look like a little girl to you?" She teased.

Tigh made a show of examining her from the crown of her head to the tips of her feet. She didn't really; she looked more like a twelve year old. "No." He replied honestly.

"Then I really wish people would stop using that particular nickname." She chuckled. "I'm not in my quarters because Mom and Dad needed a few uninterrupted hours alone so that they could finally get those overdue training evals done."

Tigh's face jerked up to the Admiral at the comment. "What the hell? Starbuck and Apollo turned in those evals two days ago."

Laura's face grew puzzled and she also looked to her grandfather. "That's weird. Well, if they're not doing the evals in our quarters, what are they………………………?" She trailed off as she got a horror-stricken look on her face. "_Ohhhh."_ She crinkled her nose and shook her head to get the thought out of her brain. "Okay, that was more than I needed to know."

Tigh chuckled. "You and me both, kid."

Adama chuckled slightly as well. He then looked at Laura. "Sweetheart, do you have that Navigation book that I lent to you? If I'm gonna go down there to approve the new equipment, I need a refresher course on all the techno-babble they're gonna be throwing at me."

Laura stood up from her chair and started to walk to the couch. "Yeah, I've got it right here in my bag. But do you think that you could get it back to me? 'Cause there's this really interesting chapter on……….."

Adama and Tigh heard her stop speaking, but she was already on the floor by the time they shot up from their chairs. The Admiral ran over to his violently trembling granddaughter and knelt beside her.

"Corporal!" Tigh shouted at the door, before kneeling on Laura's other side.

Corporal Townsend was in the room in less than two seconds..

"We've got to get her to sickbay." Adama rasped harshly. "This is a bad one. I'm afraid she's gonna hurt herself."

Townsend looked down and then straight at the Admiral. "They're getting worse."

The Admiral just gazed at Laura in fear. "I know."

* * *

Half an hour later, Kara and Lee sat in the sickbay waiting room, occasionally glancing over to where Cottle and Baltar were examining their daughter. The Admiral was not sitting. In fact, he had not stopped pacing since they had brought her in. 

"I've never seen one like that before." Adama told them remorsefully. "I've seen her have three of them, and yet, I've never seen anything like that."

Kara nodded numbly. "The last one I she had when I was with her, it was so out of control………she was practically banging her head on the floor. I was terrified she was gonna break something."

"They're getting worse." Lee added, quoting Corporal Townsend's previous statement. The look he gave his father conveyed something deeper. "I'm afraid."

Adama nodded in sympathetic understanding.

Cottle and Baltar left Laura and Baltar went into the lab while Cottle came to stand before the Adamas.

"She has a nasty gash on the inside of her mouth from where she involuntarily bit herself." Cottle told them without preamble, because they'd been through this routine before. "I'm surprised she didn't bite her damn tongue off."

Lee took a deep breath and looked up at Cottle pleadingly. "Doc, she stopped shaking as soon as she got to sickbay and you gave her the medicine."

"Yes." Cottle answered quietly, knowing where this was going. "She did."

Lee looked back down to the floor. "We've got it worked down to where it only takes two minutes for her to get to sickbay, or to the medic station on the Greenleaf when she's at school." He exhaled. "But she can do a lot of damage to herself in those two minutes."

"I'll sign out some syringes to you." Cottle conceded, pointing to Lee and Kara. "You and Captain Thrace carry them at all times." He then pointed to the door that Corporal Townsend was on the other side of. "The guards, of course, will have to carry syringes too. And I'll give you a communal one that you can hand over to whoever watches her when you're not there."

Lee nodded. "Thank you, Doc."

"Yestradin is a highly potent tranquilizer." Cottle warned. "If I give these syringes to you, it has to be with the understanding that you will handle them the same way that a medical professional would; with the utmost caution and care."

"We understand what it means, Doc." Kara answered. "We're only asking so that we can keep her safe."

Cottle nodded sadly and went back to Laura, leaving the three of them alone.

"That's not the only reason." Lee whispered, careful not to look at Kara.

Kara jerked at the comment and her mouth fell open. "What do you mean?"

Adama finally came and sat at her other side. "He's right, Kara."

"I don't—." She stuttered.

"They're getting worse." Lee repeated. He then reached over to cup Kara's face. "And I know that Cottle and Baltar say that the seizures are caused by her rapid growth, and I know that that's definitely _part _of it……………but what if that's not _all_ of it?"

Kara took in a harsh breath. "Meaning what?"

"Sharon—Boomer, the _first _Boomer, she shot herself not long before she shot Dad." Lee said, and then looked up to Adama's tortured face. "We all thought it was an accident. She told us that she was cleaning her gun and it went off, and we believed her…………. because she was Boomer; _our_ Boomer. And we had no reason not to."

"But now you think there was something more to it." Kara finished for him sadly.

Adama placed a soothing hand on Kara's knee. "She was a sleeper agent. I now believe with every fiber of my being that she did not know what she was doing. That she did it because she had been activated by the Cylons."

"Boomer believed that she was human." Lee added. "She loved us. That was real to her, she wasn't _pretending_."

"Lee and I have been talking." Adama interjected. "Laura's seizures have been getting more frequent and more severe."

"And our greatest fear………." Lee whispered agonizingly. "Is that the Cylons may be trying to activate her. And the seizures are an effect of her subconscious trying to fight it."

Adama continued. "Just like Boomer was trying to fight it when she shot herself."

"Boomer wasn't successful in her fight, because she was ignorant of what she was—so was everyone else. But Laura knows what she is—and so do we." Lee comforted her. "We're not saying that she'd do what Boomer did."

"But we have to be prepared." Adama concluded. "If our worst fears are realized and she's forced to do something she doesn't want to do, we have to find a way to incapacitate her without hurting her."

Kara let a single tear fall down her cheek and chuckled remorsefully. "Enter the syringes filled with a knock-out drug."

Lee turned her to face him and pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you so much. I love _her_ so much. And I will for the rest of my life."

* * *

"Hello, little Laura." Kara grinned as she walked through the door of the classroom on the Greenleaf a month later. 

Laura looked over from her desk and quickly got up, walking to stand in front of her mother. "Mom, don't call me that in front of the other kids."

"I used to call you that in front of other kids all the time." Kara chuckled.

"Yeah, but that was months ago; when I was in elementary school." Laura whispered, looking back to the four other teenaged students in her group. "You can't do it now, it's embarrassing."

"Oh, okay." Kara said, giving a slight wave over to the desks. "I won't call you that anymore." She stuck out her tongue at her daughter. "I'll even call you Ms. Adama if that's what you want."

"You don't have to go quite that far." Laura chuckled. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a free hour, so I thought I'd pick you up today." Kara smiled.

"Great. I'll go get my stuff." Laura said, going back to her desk.

"Mrs. Adama?" A voice spoke from behind Kara.

Kara turned around to see one of Laura's teachers standing there. "Ms. Lucci, it's good to see you again."

"And you as well." Ms. Lucci responded hesitantly. "I'm glad you came here today. I've been meaning to get in touch with you to see if we could schedule a meeting to discuss some concerns that I have."

"Is Laura having problems in her classes?" Kara asked, the sudden concern making her whole body tense.

"No. Laura's been having _some_ problems, but she's very smart." The teacher responded, exhaling loudly. "Actually, she may be smarter than I know how to deal with."

"I see." Kara whispered resignedly.

"You and your husband and I need to get together and talk about which direction we need take as far as Laura's education is concerned."

Kara just nodded numbly. "I'll talk to Lee; see what time would be best."

"I can pretty much work around any time you have open." Ms. Lucci smiled amicably.

The teacher started to walk back to the dispersing students, but Kara stopped her, pointing at one of the computers. "Ms. Lucci, is that computer hooked up to the encyclopedia database?"

"Yes, it is."

"Can I use it for a moment?" Kara asked, sitting down in front of it.

"Of course." Lucci said. "Take as much time as you need."

Kara typed something in and then sat back, waiting for the search engine to give its results. When it finally did, Kara was even more confused than she was before. "Huh. I guess I really am crazy."

"You probably are if you're talking to yourself, Mom." Laura laughed from behind her, her schoolbag in her hands.

Kara stood up from the chair. "You ready to go, Ms. Adama?"

Laura grinned and gestured to the computer. "What were you looking up?"

"Nothing I guess. Since it doesn't seem to know anything about what I was asking." Kara chuckled, scratching her nose.

They exited the room and the teacher came over to reset the computer back to the original screen, wiping out the response that Kara had seen:

**_No Result Found for the Entry: NEPTUNE_**

* * *

"Laura, you're walking too fast!" Lee shouted down the hall at his daughter when he noticed that Corporal Wilkes was practically running just to keep alongside of her. "LAURA!" Lee shouted again, his voice traveling the fifteen feet that separated him and Kara from their angry daughter. "Are you gonna listen to me?" 

Laura opened the hatch of their quarters when she got to it and then slammed it shut behind her, practically on Corporal Wilkes face.

Kara and Lee came to the door and Lee smiled apologetically at the guard. "Sorry, Corporal."

"Pissed off teenagers are just a fact of life." Wilkes laughed in response.

"Yeah, that might be." Kara hissed as she opened the hatch again. "But I'm still not letting her get away with it."

Lee shut it behind them and looked around the living area; Laura wasn't on the couch or on her bed, so Lee figured she must be in their bedroom. "Laura, come out here, NOW!"

"No!" She shouted through the door.

"Laura Karla Adama, get back here! Your father and I are not done screaming at you yet!" Kara shouted back.

"FINE." Laura seethed as she came back in the room.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Kara demanded angrily, holding up a piece of paper. "What, you're getting failing grades now?"

"I didn't fail." Laura shouted back. "I did the assignment, and I did it better than anybody else in my group. The only reason I got a bad grade was because the teacher didn't even comprehend what I was trying to say. And I'm not gonna pretend that I'm as dumb as she is just so I can get good grades and fit in at that school!"

"Gods." Lee groaned, his eyes cast up to heavens as if asking for divine help. "Don't call your teacher dumb! Your mother and I can't keep up with most of the things you're interested in learning about……..are we dumb too?"

"I didn't say that!" Laura screamed back. "But at least you guys don't treat me like I'm weird when I know _more_ about something than you do."

"What is going on with you lately, huh?" Kara yelled. But it was concern, not anger, which resonated most in her voice. "You're having trouble at school, you've stopped doing things with Ethan and Charlotte, and you've been stomping around here for days pitching a hissy fit because you say your clothes don't fit you anymore."

"My clothes DON'T fit me anymore." Laura screamed.

"So we'll get you new ones, like we have every _other_ time you've grown out of them!" Lee responded, his voice cracking with exasperation. "That does not give you the right to act like this."

Laura just petulantly crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not going back to school."

"Yes, you are." Kara responded firmly.

"Why?" Laura yelled.

"Because I'm your mother and I said so!" Kara yelled back. "You used to like school."

"I don't anymore." Laura whispered; the sadness echoing in her voice as her blue eyes started to moisten.

Kara calmed when she saw her daughter's pain. "Why not?"

"I don't fit in there." She cried, walking over to her bed.

"Are the other students being mean to you?" Lee asked quietly, his heart breaking.

"No, it's not that." Laura sank down and took her Aerilon Chiefs bear in her arms. "It's just………I don't know where I belong. And _they_ don't know where I belong either. They keep moving me up to a higher group, and I don't even have time to make friends before they move me to the next one. And Ethan and Charlotte are still in the other room with the other teacher."

"Laura, honey." Kara began, sitting on the bed next to her daughter. "We can't just give up—."

"I'm basically doing what I was doing before I went to school, except now I feel like everybody's looking at me weird." Laura gazed over at her desperately. "The stuff they're teaching…….I'm already way past it, so I'm just sitting off in a corner reading books while the other kids are trying to learn the stuff that I already know." A tear fell down her cheek. "So why can't I just stay at home and do that?"

Lee walked over to stand by the bed and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard, but we just need to hold out—."

"NO!" Laura shouted, bolting from the bed and going into the bathroom. "I'm not going back." She slammed the door behind her. "And you can't make me!"

Lee just walked over to the door and knocked gently. "Laura?" He pleaded. "Please come out."

"Just give her time to cool off, Lee." Kara told him softly. "At least that will give us time to think."

* * *

When Lee walked into their bedroom at the end of that night, Kara was still wearing her dress uniform, sitting at the head of their bed and hugging her knees to her chest. 

Lee shut the door behind him and leaned against it. "She's asleep now. She just faced the wall and curled up, she wouldn't even say good night."

"She's miserable, Lee." Kara whispered, looking down at the bed.

"She's on the cusp of being a teenager." Lee said as he came and sat at the foot of the bed. "Aren't most teenagers miserable at some point or another?"

"But she's miserable for a very specific reason." Kara caught his eyes. "And it's something that we can fix."

He moved up the bed and flopped on his back beside her. "She's not going back to school, is she?"

Kara shook her head. "She's right, Lee. We've known it for weeks now, we just didn't want to admit it. Not only is she just as bored as before, but she feels like a freak—which is something that we've always gone to great lengths to keep her from feeling." Kara's voice trembled as she traced a circle on her knee. "You were right. It was a bad idea."

Lee sat up on his elbows and gently took her hand. "I didn't want to be right. I wanted this to work out for her." He kissed her fingers. "And _you_ were right; for seven months it was a _good_ idea. It's just……….things changed."

"She still has to learn; otherwise she'll just go crazy. She can't seem to stop asking questions." Kara laughed thoughtfully. "And most times they're questions that we can't answer."

"We answer them." Lee also laughed, lying back down and covering his face with his arm. "It's just that most of our answers consist of the words '_I don't know'_."

"And she can't just learn from books, she has to have guidance. She has to learn from someone who's smart enough to teach her."

"But who?" He dropped his arm and looked up at her. "There aren't many people left in the world who can teach at her level."

"Hell, Lee, there weren't too many people _before _who could teach at her level." She replied, looking back down at him. "But there is someone who could do it. Someone who has a classroom of sorts…………it's even on this ship."

Lee shot up in bed all the way. "Kara………"

"I know." She shook her head dryly. "I can't believe I'm suggesting it either. But who else is gonna do it, Lee?"

"You wanna let that man teach our daughter?"

"Laura knows him from all the help he's given her with her seizures. He's not that bad."

"You called him an over-sexed, over-arrogant, egomaniacal, frakwit." Lee responded.

"Well, everybody has a nickname." She responded sarcastically.

"We put Zarek in office to keep her away from Baltar." Lee pointed out. "ZAREK, Kara. That's how desperate we were to keep Baltar from having control over her life."

"He'll be teaching her for seven and a half hours a week." She assured him. "That's hardly giving him control over her life. And she'll be _studying_ _with him_ in his lab, not being _studied by him_ in it."

"Yeah, it's just—." He laid back down in exhaustion.

"Laura's got a good heart. We raised her to have a good heart." She chucked wistfully. "Or maybe we had nothing to do with it; maybe she was just destined to be that way, I don't know. But whatever caused it, it's there, _inside_ of her. That's the part of her that will guide her through her life. And Gaius Baltar teaching her about chemistry and astrophysics and………what is that subject she was asking about a couple days ago? The one about heat energy?"

"Thermodynamics."

"………….won't change that part of her." Kara finished as she laid back, propped up on her elbow so she could look down at him. She traced her fingers across his chest. "What she'll learn from Baltar won't change her heart."

His right hand found its way to the buttons of her top and began to undo them. "I can't believe I'm actually considering this." He leaned up to kiss her collarbone and took out her ponytail, letting his left hand tangle in her hair.

She pulled back and started to undo his belt as he eased her shirt off of her. "You'll just have to consider it one of those 'leaps of faith' that we're so experienced at." She whispered into his ear before placing a kiss on the skin beneath it.

"I have some concerns. Some demands to make of Dr. Baltar." He ran his hand from her shoulder down to her hip.

She eased him back down to the bed and laid her body on top of his. "Of course you do." She chuckled as she kissed him, letting her tongue tease his bottom lip. "You wouldn't be the man I love it you didn't."

* * *

"Captain Thrace." Baltar uttered in shock when he looked up to see Kara walking into his lab. "To what do I owe this honor?" 

Kara walked past the counters that held the lab's equipment, gently drifting her fingers over all of it. "I just wanted to see where my daughter would be coming to learn an hour and half each weekday."

"You've seen it before." He smiled suggestively. "Is there anything specific you'd like to see?"

"Careful." Both Kara _and Six_ warned at the same time.

"Of course." He stuttered, running his hands through his hair. "I know how that must've sounded. But I assure you, I did not mean anything inappropriate by it."

"Of course you didn't, Gaius." Six purred sarcastically, coming to stand beside him. She looked at Kara. "So this is our child's human mother. One of the ones God has chosen to guide her through her formative years." She managed to say with only slight disdain. "I have no doubt that she loves our daughter. But really, how deep can _human_ love run?"

"I don't like you. Never have, never will." Kara told Baltar harshly. "But I'm willing to set that aside if it means that it helps Laura."

"I guess we're about to _find out_ how deep." Six said, walking over to the other side of the table to examine Kara. "Let's see how far she's willing to go for the love of a child, Gaius."

"I too, only wish to help Laura." Baltar answered. "I know how it feels to be held back; to not have certain people understand the potential that runs through you."

"That's it, darling." Six urged. "Now tell her what she wants to hear."

Baltar took on false humility. "It's admirable that you and Captain Adama are willing to set aside your reservations about me…………..if it means that Laura will benefit from the knowledge I carry. You must love her deeply."

"We _do _love her." Kara stated firmly, the edge in her voice almost sharp enough to cut glass. "So much so that if we find out you've done anything harmful to her—we'd be quite willing to watch you suffer."

"I'm perfectly aware of the vengeance that parents are willing to exact upon the people who cause their children harm." Baltar smiled; more at the sexy blonde standing next to Kara, than at Kara. "But I assure you, I'm not one of those people."

"That's good to hear." Kara and Six again replied simultaneously.

"And I also assure you that I will follow the guidelines that your husband has set in terms of Laura's education." Baltar nodded. "He has ordered me to not impart upon her …….any knowledge that I have about Cylon nature. I intend to follow that order."

"Yes." Kara answered softly, shifting her eyes away from his to look at a random spot on the wall. "Except……………I don't want you to follow it."

"Excuse me?" Baltar asked in surprise.

"Play your cards right, Gaius, and you may get everything that we want handed to you on a silver platter." Six stated, studying Kara thoroughly.

"I want you to teach her about who she is." Kara whispered, agonized that the words were coming from her mouth. "Laura's half-Cylon. She is what she is, and I don't think that she should have to hide it or be ignorant of what it means." She looked back to him. "The one person that could best tell her about her Cylon half, died bringing her into the world. So I'm just gonna have to settle for the second best."

"Captain Adama won't like this." Baltar warned.

"He won't know about it. He wouldn't understand, the only experience he's ever had with Cylons has been superficial, '_they're evil and that's all there is to it'_. My experiences show me that everything goes deeper." Kara informed him. "You and Laura and I will have to keep this a secret from everyone. I will have to deceive the man I love most in the world." Her eyes filled with tears and she bit her lip. "That will have to be my burden. That is how far I'm willing to go for the love of my child."

"That's almost miraculously beautiful." Six smiled appreciatively. "Maybe they're worthy of the task that God had given them after all."

"Laura needs to know who she is. She needs to understand the other part of her." Kara told him with conviction. "So that she can rise above it, cast it aside and never look back. So that she can fully accept the better half of her."

Baltar nodded. "You want me to help her come to terms with what she is?"

"Yes." Kara admitted, cradling her forehead in her palm before looking back to him. "Will you do that, Doctor?"

Baltar smiled in acceptance, his eyes pointed at the space next to Kara. "Since that seems to be the task I'm being given."

Six looked at him in total worship. "Didn't I tell you, Gaius? How could you have ever questioned the will of God? The melody is playing out as if he was conducting the symphony with his own hands."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Dee felt at peace when she saw the way the red and blue light sprinkled across the walls of the sanctuary from where the sun came in through the stained glass window. She did not know this church, but like in all temples, she knew that you went to the altar to pay your respects.

She had only walked halfway down the aisle when she heard the chords of a piano echo in her ears. She turned from the path that led her to the front of the church and made her way over to the side alcove that held the musician and his instrument.

"Do you know this piece?" The man asked as his fingers danced across the keys.

"Yes."

"_How_ do you know it?" He asked, his eyes finally meeting hers.

"Laura has a recording of it." Dee answered simply. "It's playing right now, where I am; in their quarters."

"I see."

"It's beautiful." She told him, smiling appreciatively. "That's you playing on the recording, isn't it?"

His only response was a slight nod as he continued to pound out the notes on the piano. "Is it a sacrifice you are willing to make, Anastasia? What they are asking of you?"

Her eyes moistened with tears and she looked around uncertainly. "I think so."

"Yours is not an easy destiny." He informed her without emotion. "You will have to give up something that you cherish."

"If I don't do it, if we stay on the path that we're on……..what I'll be giving up wouldn't be worth that much anyway." She closed her eyes, causing a tear to fall down her cheek. "If I can help my people, my _family,_ find a new direction—."

"That's not enough." He interrupted curtly as he stopped the music. "Your sacrifice cannot just be a noble and righteous offering. It cannot just be to save humanity." He then resumed playing. "It has to be personal…………because you love her."

"It will be because of that." She whispered reverently. "It will be."

"My granddaughter is a Cylon." He said, his voice devoid of hatred. "Many people wouldn't be able to get past that truth."

"I'm not one of those people."

"The two of you don't even share the same blood." He stated, testing her.

"Neither do the two of you." Dee answered, absentmindedly looking over to the tapestry hanging on the wall; emblazoned with the symbol of the archer. "My blood family is gone. There wasn't anything I could do to save them."

"But there is something you can do this time." He told her sadly, finishing his piece. "As a matter of fact, you'll have to. The plan doesn't really work unless you play your part."

"Dee? Hey Dee!"

Dualla drifted into awareness as the same music grew louder in her ears, but she didn't awaken fully until she felt something pelt her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw a young woman with long brown hair, blue eyes and a killer grin sitting on a bed, preparing to slingshot another pencil. "Do it again and suffer dire consequences, Ms. Adama." Dee groaned as she rubbed her forehead and moved off the arm of the couch to sit upright.

"Gods, Dee, I know Grandpa is a slave-driver." Laura laughed. "But if you're this tired, he'd give you a day off if you asked for it."

"A whole day?" Dee scoffed. "I'd settle for eight uninterrupted hours so that I could get some sleep."

"When was the last time you saw President Keikeya?" Laura asked with a teasing voice, looking back to the book in her lap.

Dee smirked in embarrassment. "It's been a few days."

"So maybe you wouldn't just be _sleeping_ during those eight hours?"

"That's not the way a _proper_ eighteen-month-old talks, Laura." Dee giggled. She then narrowed her eyes when Laura put a piece of candy in her mouth. "Stop eating those." She admonished.

"What?" Laura looked back at her innocently. "Mom said I could have a couple."

"Last time I checked, 'a couple' meant _two_. You've now had seven."

"How did you……?" Laura looked around the room in disbelief. "You were asleep, how could you _possibly_ know that?"

Dee laughed and pointed to her temple. "_I know all_. I sit in CIC, the brain of the entire ship, most of my day; nothing happens that I don't know about. As a matter of fact, the only reason your grandpa knows everything that happens on his ship is because I tell him about it."

Laura laughed slightly toobut then got somber. "Grandpa's really tired too, Dee."

"We all are." Dee replied. "We just have to find a way to get these constant hit and run attacks to stop." She rubbed her eyes. "Sometimes I think it would be better if the whole Cylon fleet just hit us."

"Grandpa sure doesn't feel that way." Laura told her. "They won't do it, though. Without the Resurrection ship; now that they can die permanently, they're not gonna attack us outright." Laura whispered sadly. "I mean, why would anyone put themselves in a position where they'd die?"

Dee took in a deep, trembling breath and looked at her meaningfully. "Some things are worth dying for, Laura."

Before Laura could respond, the hatch opened and they both turned to see Kara mope in.

Kara dragged herself over to Laura's bed. "Move over." She groaned and laid down, curled up on her side next to her daughter.

Laura playfully swatted her shoulder as she made room on the small bed. "No, Mom, go get on your own bed!"

"The twenty extra steps would just be too much for my exhausted body to take." Kara looked up at Laura with her bottom lip in a pout. "You won't make Mama move, will you?"

"Of course not." Laura giggled, rubbing Kara's back and patting her head. "Poor Mama."

Kara sighed at the soothing ministration and closed her eyes, her hand idly moving back and forth to the rhythm of the music that was filling the room. "Mmm, this piece always made me sleepy."

"Everything alright out on CAP, Starbuck?" Dee asked quietly.

Kara opened her eyes and nodded sadly. "For now." She then looked over at the book that Laura had in front of her. "Finally, something that I know about! _The Colonial Guide to the Signs and Symbols of the Twelve Tribes._" Kara got a puzzled look on her face. "Baltar didn't give this to you, did he?"

"Nope, Dee did." Laura answered, smiling over to the couch. "She said I needed to know them."

"Yeah?" Kara smiled at Dee as well, and then looked back to Laura. "Which one's your favorite?"

"Well, I really like the twins—."

"Figures." Dee chuckled. "Look at who her parents are."

"But my favorite is the archer, the symbol of Sagitarron." Laura finished.

Kara picked up the book and opened it, examining it closely. "Uh-huh." She then looked over at Dee and winked. "Teenage hormones kicking in; the archer in this painting has a great body."

"MOM, gods!" Laura laughed, swiping the book back.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Laura." Dee laughed as well. "When I was a teenager, I used to think the archer was pretty hot too."

"That's right, I forgot about that." Kara said absentmindedly. "You're _from_ Sagitarron, aren't you, Dee?"

"Yeah." Dee locked eyes with Laura. "Yeah, I am."

The hatch opened again and this time, Lee walked through. He closed it behind him and leaned against it.

"Hey, there you are." Kara yawned at him, lying back against Laura's pillows. "I'm just giving you a heads up; I'm never leaving this bed again, so you might have to rearrange some things on the schedule."

Lee laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." He grinned sheepishly. "I've got a gift for Laura."

Kara looked at his empty hands and smirked. "You giving our daughter invisible gifts again, Lee? I thought we'd talked about that."

He pointed back to the door. "Corporal Venner's holding it for me in the hallway."

"Well," Dee chuckled at him. "Go get it! We're on pins and needles here."

He opened the door a sliver and just stuck his upper body out. When he turned back, he was holding a meowing, little creature in his hands.

"Oh my gods." Laura whispered in awe, getting off her bed. "You got Boy!"

"Yeah." Lee smiled at her when she came to stroke the cat's head.

"Why'd you bring him here?" She looked up at him, her eyes uncertain.

"He's gonna live here now." Lee answered as he transferred the pet into Laura's arms.

"Really?" She grinned widely and looked back to Kara.

"Really." Lee replied, stroking the cat with one hand and cupping Laura's face with the other. "I had to practically twist Mrs. Knowlton's arm off to get her to give him to me. She didn't want to separate him from his brothers and sisters, but I convinced her that we'd give him a good home."

Kara got off the bed and came to stand beside them. "He'll need a food dish." She said, petting Boy. "Why don't you get the purple one shaped like a balloon that Cally got for you when you were little? It's still in the cabinet." Her eyebrows then furrowed. "You don't still use that, do you?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "No, Mom. I've moved onto '_big-girl_' dinnerware now." She walked to the cabinet, kissing the cat on the head. "Come on, Boy. We'll get you all set up."

Kara watched her teenage-looking daughter walk away and then turned to Lee. "Has something in your body changed dramatically in the last couple days?"

Lee chuckled and scratched the bridge of his nose. "Are you asking me if I'm still allergic to cats?"

"Uh-huh."

"Yes." He replied. "But Cottle just gave me a shot, and he'll _keep_ giving me shots. One every three weeks until………….." He trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. "Until he runs out or until she's not—."

Kara shook her head and looked away, the thought bringing obvious pain to her. "What will you do after Cottle runs out?" She asked, ignoring the alternative.

"Suffer in silence." He answered seriously. "She loves that cat and she should be able to see him whenever she wants to. And with all the attacks lately, I don't want her going over to the Greenleaf all the time to visit him."

"It's safer this way." Kara added, leaning against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

Dee got up off the couch. "How do the Raiders keep finding us?"

"No idea."

"And why doesn't the Cylon fleet just swoop in and—it can't just be because we destroyed the Resurrection ship." Dee continued.

"The fleet hasn't attacked us because they _want_ something." Lee replied softly, avoiding Kara's eyes when she pulled back from him because of the statement. "The hit-and-runs………..they're just frakking with us."

Kara looked over to where Laura was sitting on the floor, petting Boy as he lapped up water from his new bowl. "There's something in this fleet that they want."

"Yeah." Lee said, looking in the same direction. "But the Cylons are in for quite a shock."

"Why's that?" Dee asked.

Lee turned back and locked eyes with Kara. "Because they don't realize that we'll set the ship on fire before we give it to them."

* * *

"It's splitting right now!" Laura squealed as she looked into the microscope. "I can actually see the mitosis as its happening!" 

"It's very interesting, isn't it?" Baltar smirked as he adjusted the focus.

"The way the ribosomes lined up was really cool." She looked up from the eyepiece and smiled at him. "I've read about it a thousand times, but I've never actually seen it."

"Books were the central focus for a significant portion of my life." Baltar responded, looking into the microscope. "But you don't fully grasp all that science has to offer until you witness it firsthand."

"See it with your own eyes." Laura agreed. "Too bad there are so many things that you _can't _see……….they're either theoretical or microscopic or off in some other part of the galaxy."

"And that, Ms. Adama, is why you must take every opportunity to gaze upon the things that you _can_ see." Baltar replied, getting up from the lab table to grab another slide.

"I wish someone would explain that to Mom and Dad." Laura snorted. "Lately it seems I've been living like these cells here." She continued when she saw his puzzled look. "Under a microscope?" She rolled her eyes. "Stupid joke, I know."

"Yes, having overprotective parents must be quite irritating." He inattentively agreed as he prepared another sample.

"Pay attention, Gaius. You're missing a golden opportunity." Six whispered, coming up behind him and tracing the shell his ear. "Teenage frustration is simmering beneath the surface, and you may be just the thing to bring it to a boil."

Baltar's face perked up. "They're being overly cautious? Your parents?"

"Yeah, a bit." Laura chuckled, taking the slide from his hands and putting it under the lens. "They're just doing it because a lot of stuff has happened lately. The Cylon hit-and-runs have just now gotten under control, and the whole thing with me not going to school anymore really threw them for a loop." She looked through the eyepiece. "I guess before, when I was going to school, they could at least _pretend_ that I was normal."

"Is that what they've been telling you, that you're not normal?"

Laura jerked back from the microscope. "No." She replied, suddenly agitated. "Of course not. They're just worried about me."

"Let me help you." Six hummed in Baltar's ear again, before turning to examine Laura. "Worried or afraid?"

"Worried……or afraid?" He repeated.

"Afraid?" Laura shot back. "Why would they be _afraid_?"

"Sometimes people fear what they don't understand." Six prompted.

"Sometimes people fear what they don't understand." Baltar echoed. "And people like you and me—people like us? We aren't always easily understood."

"People like us?" Laura questioned.

"We're special, Laura." He gestured around to all the equipment in the lab. "This is the world that we live in; this is the world that we feel comfortable in. We're not like everyone else."

Laura sighed heavily. "I'm aware of that; more than aware." She defended. "But just because I'm different, that doesn't mean that I'm going to do something _bad_."

"Of course not." Six continued, telling Baltar what to say. "And I'm not suggesting that you will…………"

"………..it's just that, sometimes, what people fear is not what you'll _do_—but what you _are_." Baltar finished. "Sometimes the part of us that makes us special is the part that they try to stifle, keep hidden. So that _they_ can pretend that we're like everyone else."

"They're not hiding me." Laura pointed out. "I mean, they haven't exactly sent out a press release, but everyone pretty much knows about me now. Just because Mom and Dad haven't…….." She looked away and her voice got soft. "They're not trying to stifle who I am."

"That's commendable of them." Baltar and Six said simultaneously. "And you should give your family some credit, some latitude. If they ever _do_ start--it's not because they don't care about you, it's just…………"

"They're only human after all." Six concluded, smiling deviously at Baltar. His smile mirrored hers as he repeated the statement.

"Well………they're not acting like that, they're not hiding me." Laura shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as if she was cold. "We're all going to Cloud Nine tomorrow to see the new D'anna Biers documentary; me, my parents, and Grandpa."

"So obviously, they're NOT trying to hide you." Baltar responded, patting her arm in reassurance. "Since it's awfully hard to hide someone in a room full of people."

"Yeah……." She trailed off, lowering her head. "They'll have to empty the theater—for safety reasons."

"I see." Baltar muttered under his breath, but just loud enough so that Laura could hear the disbelief in his voice. "Well, _safety_ is their top priority."

Laura looked up, straight into his eyes, and bit her lip. "I don't really even want to go."

"Well, what _do_ you want, Laura?" Baltar asked, false sympathy dripping in from his voice.

"There is _one_ thing." She replied softly. "But I'm positive Mom and Dad won't go for it."

Baltar looked over at Six and smiled. She was sitting with her legs draped over the arm of his desk chair. The hem of her skirt was riding up on her thigh, and she was fingering the low cut neckline of her top. "Well……..." He whispered, gazing lustfully at his unseen companion. "Sometimes you have to fight for what you want."

* * *

"Why don't you ever let me leave the ship anymore?" Laura asked as she pushed around the food on her plate while they were having dinner one night. 

"We let you leave the ship." Lee responded, suddenly feeling defensive because of the bluntness of the question. "You went to the Greenleaf last week to visit Ethan and Charlotte at school."

"You only let me go because I hadn't been to see them for _two weeks_ before that."

"Actions Stations were being called _twice a day_ during those two weeks, Laura." Kara defended, taking a bite of food. "Were we supposed to let you go out into the fleet while all that was happening?"

"Life in the fleet didn't _stop_, Mom." Laura retorted. "Other people got in shuttles and went to other ships."

"We know we were very safety-conscious during that time, but as soon as the hit-and-runs stopped, we eased up." Lee interjected. "You went to the Greenleaf; and then just two days ago, we went to the Cloud Nine Theater to see that D'anna Biers documentary."

"D'anna Biers is a no-talent media whore who will do and say just about anything for shock value. I don't like her and I didn't want to go see that documentary in the first place."

Kara dropped her fork down to her plate. "Laura, don't say '_whore_'."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not appropriate dinner table vocabulary." Kara replied.

"I never get to leave the ship anymore unless someone is with me."

"You never left the ship _before_ unless someone was with you." Lee pointed out. "I hope you're not suggesting that you—."

Laura cut him off. "No. I realize that I still have to have the corporals with me, but you used to let me go to school with just the guards watching me. Now I have to have someone else baby-sitting me at all times."

"School was different." Kara corrected. "We knew where you were, what you were doing; you were in a room that was safe with people that we trusted."

"Just tell us where you wanna go and we'll take you." Lee added. "And if we can't do it, we'll find somebody else to go with you. But kids can't just go traipsing across the fleet without adult supervision, not even—."

"Normal kids?" Laura finished his thought for him, narrowing her eyes. "Kids that aren't freaks like me?"

Lee looked down to his plate. "That wasn't what I was gonna say, and you know it."

"I want to go to the Rising Star." Laura told him as she took a drink of water. "They have this place set up with a whole bunch of video games and I got invited to go."

"By whom?" Lee asked, the terror rising in his voice.

She shrugged. "Just this guy that I know."

Both Lee and Kara's eyes shot up at the same time and locked. "How the frak do you know a guy?" Kara almost shouted.

"Is that '_appropriate dinner table vocabulary_', Mom?" Laura mocked.

"Quit being a smart-ass and just answer your mother's question." Lee shot back.

Laura sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "What specifically do you wanna know?"

"This guy's name for starters." Lee stated.

"Shane Michaels. What else?"

"What ship does he live on?"

"The Zepher." Laura replied. "You want a sample of his DNA too?" She added sarcastically.

"That would _help_, actually." Kara responded with a hint of the same sarcasm. "Does he have ties to any terrorists groups?"

"NO!" Laura shouted in offense. "He's the brother of a girl I knew from school. He was there picking her up when I went to visit Ethan and Charlotte, and we got to talking."

"_He_'_s_ not a student at the school?" Lee inquired softly, catching on to what she was trying to keep hidden.

"Um……. no." She answered hesitantly.

"Why not?" Lee continued.

"Because he's eighteen."

Kara threw up her hands. "No need to continue, the answer is NO. You can't go."

"Why?" Laura shouted.

"Because he's eighteen and you're …………_incredibly_ not."

"This is total frakking crap!" Laura yelled, jumping up out of her chair.

"Don't cuss." Lee breathed out, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

Laura got strangely quiet, crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. "I'm wearing Dee's clothes now."

Lee looked up at her in confusion. "Huh?"

Kara shook her head. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You borrowed some of Dee's clothes for me to wear, 'cause we're the same size now."

"What are you trying to say?" Lee asked.

"I'm trying to say that I have breasts! And hips!" She shouted, gesturing up and down her now very-developed body. "I catch guys looking at me all the time."

Lee put his elbows on the table and held his head in his hands. "Oh my gods, I'm gonna have a stroke."

"Well, you've sufficiently agitated your parents." Kara told her as she stood up as well and took a sip of water to calm down. "Was that the point of your little revelation?"

"My point is that I'm not a little girl anymore. I don't look like one, and Shane doesn't see me as one."

"That's because he doesn't know you!" Kara answered, slamming her glass back to the table. "And that is _our _point."

"We know it's not fair." Lee added. "But we have to be careful of who we can trust, Laura."

"Why won't you let me have any fun?" Laura shouted.

"Oh, Laura, will you _grow up_?" Lee groaned. He then gulped loudly as Kara and Laura both gave him incredulous, dirty glares. "Sorry, bad choice of words."

"We're not doing this because we don't want you to have fun. We're not doing this to be mean." Kara assured her. "We're doing this because we love you."

Laura lowered her head and chuckled mockingly. "Yeah, I know you do." She looked back up, straight at Kara. "_Mommy loves her little toaster baby_."

"Frak." Kara whispered, rubbing her eyes.

"I knew that would come back to bite you in the ass." Lee muttered under his breath.

"FINE. What do you want me to say?" Kara shouted at Laura. "I'm an awful mother. I couldn't go to your school recital four months ago because that was the day some idiot war-protester decided to blow a hole in the side of the Daru Mozu. I lie to you and tell you that there's no more dessert when I'm too lazy to walk down to the mess and get it for you—."

"Hey!" Lee perked up. "You told _me_ that yesterday!"

Kara shushed him, but otherwise ignored him and continued. "I don't always check to see that you've brushed your teeth. I cuss in front of you, have an occasional cigar. And yes, I had an inappropriate nickname for you when you were a baby. I'm the worst mother _in the world_!" She pointed at Lee and then to her own heart. "But have you ever doubted—for a single, solitary second—that your father and I love you?"

Laura blinked and then looked to the side, but her only response was silence.

"Yeah." Kara laughed. "You really are my daughter. I used to shut the hell up when somebody called me on my crap too."

"I hate you!" Laura screamed at both of them as she stomped to the hatch and out into the hallway. "I frakking hate you!"

"Well, that's just great." Kara shouted after her. "Now we're definitely a family. What girl doesn't hate her parents?" She then walked to the open hatch and shouted after her down the corridor. "And don't cuss! You ungrateful little shit!" She turned back into the room, but stood by the hatchway; leaning against the wall with a scowl on her face.

Corporal Venner poked his head in. "You guys want me to haul her back?"

Kara looked over at him and shook her head. Lee rose from his chair, taking his plate to the sink. "No." He replied, still turned away from Kara and Venner. "Just follow her like you always do. Make sure she's alright."

Corporal Venner nodded and ran to catch up with Laura.

Lee finally turned around. "You know what I like about us, _honey_?"

The scowl didn't disappear as Kara responded. "What's that, _darling_?"

He leaned against the counter. "When we jump into things, we jump into them at full speed."

"Like brick walls." She added.

"And fire."

"And frustrated-teenager melodrama." Kara groaned, rubbing her temple. "_Frak_, Lee, go after her!"

Lee took off in a dead run out the still-open door.

* * *

"You know you can't run out on your mother and me like that." Lee said twenty minutes later, when he found Laura sitting on the hangar deck floor, her knees hugged to her chest. 

"Why not?" Laura said, looking out onto the line of Vipers and refusing to meet his eyes. She pointed back to where Venner was standing by the exit. "I have a marine guard following me wherever I go."

Lee sat down next to her. "Probably because we worry about you when you're sitting across from us at the table; you don't think it gets any better when we don't know where you are, do you?"

Laura shook her head and traced her kneecap. "Are you guys mad?" She whispered.

"Well, we'd prefer that you not act like a spoiled little brat." Lee laughed. "But we understand why you feel like this. You kinda got a raw deal, Laura."

"Except, I didn't really." She finally looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. "I got really lucky; you and Mom have been great. And none of this bothered me before, so I don't know why I feel this way _now_."

"Well, you had to grow up fast. Literally." Lee chuckled ruefully. "Every kid feels this way, it's just—you feel it ten times stronger than most of them."

"Yeah." Laura sighed, wiping a single tear from her cheek. "I just—I don't know, you know? Of course you don't know, _I_ don't even know." She chuckled sadly. "It's just that Shane knows about who I am—and he _still_ wanted me to go with him. And I don't know how many times I'm gonna find that in my life."

"Sweetheart," Lee began. "This intense, compulsive, all-consuming drive that your mother and I have to protect you with every drop of blood in our veins? It's not gonna go away."

"I know." Laura smiled. "And I don't want it to. It's part of why I love you."

"And we love you." Lee exhaled, gazing out at the planes. "So, I guess that we could, ya know………. _try_ to be a little less strict."

"Does that mean you'll let me go to the Rising Star with Shane?"

Lee looked back to her. "Oh, no, absolutely not."

She rolled her eyes amusedly. "Fine."

"But if he wants to come here, _strictly as a friend_, and face the Galactica gauntlet?" Lee rasped out reluctantly, scrubbing his hands through his hair. "I guess that would be okay."

"I could see if those are acceptable terms." Laura chuckled, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Does this guy know that your parents and grandfather are in control of fighter jets and large cannons? Just in case he steps out of line?"

"Well, I don't think there are any caves left that he could've been living in, so I'm pretty sure he's aware of that fact." She clucked her tongue at him.

"Come here." He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Your mother wants to talk to you too. She's in the chapel."

* * *

"Mom?" 

Kara lifted her head and looked over to see Laura standing beside the pew. "Pull up a pew, little girl." She smiled sweetly. "Or big girl, as it were."

"You can still call me 'little girl', Mom." Laura assured her, sitting down next to her. "I'm not gonna freak out on you like I did before."

Kara looked back to the front of the chapel. The altar held lit candles and various religious artifacts. And behind it, the banners of the twelve tribes hung on the wall. "We created this room for you."

"For me?" Laura asked with surprise.

"Well, sort of." Kara chuckled. "Grandpa set it up, with President Roslin's prompting, so that crewmembers could have a place to worship. It was for morale; that was the official reason." She amended. "But we never even _thought_ to have a place like this until you came along. The first time it was ever used—was for your confirmation of faith."

"I remember." Laura whispered, looking to her hands in her lap.

"Of course you do." Kara said, taking one of the hands. She pointed to a corner of the room that held a glass case. "Do you know what that is?"

Laura looked in that direction, to the object inside the case. "The Arrow of Apollo."

"Yep." Kara gazed at it meaningfully. "And even though it didn't do what we thought it would do, people still see it as a symbol of our faith. But your father doesn't like to come here, _because_ of the Arrow. He doesn't think that a metal arrow should be a symbol of what we're fighting for." She turned back to Laura with love in her eyes. "I'm starting to come around to his way of thinking."

Laura nodded.

"I know that things have been hard." Kara continued. "It's not easy to belong to a family. Sometimes family members, they do things that………….." She looked away to hide the pain etched on her face. "That the other members don't always understand."

"You're not Grandma, Mom. Or whatever you want that lady to be called." Laura assured her, knowing her inner torment. "You haven't done anything that's gonna scar me for life."

"I never wanted to have a child." Kara told her simply.

"Mom?" Laura's voice trembled in fear.

Kara looked back at her apologetically and shook her head. "No, sweetheart, I didn't mean it like that." Her eyes started to moisten. "I just meant—I _knew_ that I wasn't built for it, I _knew_ that I wouldn't be good at it. And I _knew_ that it would just frak up my life and everybody else's, especially the poor kid unlucky enough to have _me_ as a mother." She wiped away a tear on her cheek and smiled. "But now, I realize that I didn't _know_ anything. Because you showed up; this miraculous, amazing creature……. and suddenly, everything that I was so sure of, seemed so wrong. Now I can't imagine _not_ wanting you."

"Wow." Laura smiled graciously. "I don't know that I deserve to hear something that flattering. After the way I just acted, I thought I'd be grounded or something."

"Oh, you will be." Kara said, pausing as Laura snorted in amusement. "But I wanted you to come here first, because I wanted to give you something." She picked up the gift, wrapped in cloth, from beside her and placed it on Laura's lap.

Laura unwrapped the cloth to reveal two cast iron statues. "You're giving me Artemis and Aphrodite?"

Instead of answering the question, Kara revealed something else. "I used to pray a lot. Nobody ever knew how much, including your father. They wouldn't have believed that _tough-as-nails_ Starbuck would pray so much." She chuckled wistfully. "I used to pray for guidance, for direction. I used to pray to the gods to send me a sign that they really existed." She took a deep breath. "But lately, since you were born, I've found that the amount of time I spend praying has been steadily decreasing."

Laura's eyebrows quirked up. "Really?"

"Actually, when you were a baby, it _increased_." Kara laughed. "I used to pray all the time for reassurance. For the gods to tell me what to do to make me a good mother, to make _you_ a good person." Kara tucked a strand of Laura's brown hair behind her ear. "But that was only when you couldn't talk. Because when you _started _talking, when you started to become the person that you are………….I started listening to _you_, instead of praying to the gods."

"Even when all I was saying was 'Boy' and 'Mama' and 'boat'?" Laura winked.

"Alright, well, maybe it wasn't the _words_ that you were saying." Kara chuckled. "Maybe it was just that you were speaking at all. _You_ were the response from the gods that I was asking for. And I didn't need to pray to them as much anymore because, right in front of me--was living, breathing proof that there was good and beauty left in the universe."

Laura lowered her head. "I think you're giving me too much credit, Mom."

"People turn to idols," Kara pointed back to the glass case. "And rusted out pieces of metal—when their lives are empty; not giving them the contentment that they're looking for." She looked back to Laura. "This is an exceptionally weird situation that our family is in, and yet……..I've never been more content."

Laura looked confused. "So, you're saying that you're giving me your idols because you don't believe in the gods as much anymore?"

"Man, for a girl that loves books so much, you sure don't know how to read between the lines, do you?" Kara laughed, but then smiled reverently. "What I'm saying is that I believe in them more than ever, my faith in them is very strong. But I don't need the idols anymore, because _you're_ here. And as much faith as I have in the gods, it's still not half as much………….as I have in you."

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Laura Adama held the red boxing gloves up around her face and glared at her opponent as they danced around each other. "Come on; let me see what you got."

"Tough talk for a girl whose diapers I used to change." Lee laughed as he glared back at her. He took a swing at her and she ducked away. "You're getting better, but you're still being too rigid, too defensive."

"You and I are trying to punch each other." She gestured back and forth between them as they stood in the middle of the gym. "Am I not supposed to be defensive?"

"It's better if you just let it flow, no controlled moves. Just let your instincts take over." He replied as he held up his fists. "Don't over-think it."

He heard a soft chuckle from the corner of the gym and looked over to where Kara was sitting on the floor, going over fitness reports. "_You _are saying _she_ over-thinks things and is too controlled?" Kara then looked straight at Laura. "Pot? This is your father, Kettle." She then gestured to Lee. "And you're both black."

"Hey, I've gotten better." He retorted, turning back to Laura. "I'm not nearly as—." He was cut off harshly when a gloved hand connected with his jaw and he was knocked to the floor.

When his eyes refocused, he looked up to see Laura standing over him, her face split in a cheeky grin. "I think today's boxing lesson should be about never letting your guard down."

He shook his head and gingerly touched the side of his face. "Has your mother been giving you private lessons?" He chuckled as he sat up. "She could always blindside and knock me out with one shot too."

"Mom didn't teach me that move." Laura answered; taking his hand and pulling him to his feet.

When he was standing again, Lee glanced over at Kara and she shook her head, confirming what Laura said. "Well, if not Mom, then who?"

Laura's only answer was to cluck her tongue and wink at him.

* * *

"Frak." Racetrack hissed as she stood in a deserted corridor and unsuccessfully tried to light a candle. "Gods damn it." She groaned again as the match blew out before the candle was lit. 

As she tried again, a hand appeared and partially cupped the top of the votive, allowing the flame to ignite the wick. "There's a draft in this section of the hallway, from the air vent."

Racetrack looked up at the face that went along with the voice and the helpful hand. "Thank you." She said softly as she set the candle on the table and looked up at the wall of pictures and handmade signs, the memorial for all the fallen loved ones.

"Sure." Laura smiled, and then gestured back to the end of the corridor. "I'm gonna go."

"You don't have to go, Laura." Racetrack said, stopping her retreat. "The hallway's big enough for the both of us."

"I just didn't think anybody would be here this late." Laura replied. "I try not to ever come when I think anybody else will be here."

Racetrack face was puzzled. "Why?"

Laura pointed at the pictures. "All these people are up on this wall for a very specific reason." She just shrugged. "And I guess I didn't want the people who come here to mourn them to think it was disrespectful that I was here."

"Nobody would think that way." Racetrack whispered, reassuring her. "What are you doing up this late?"

Laura smiled and pointed over to where Corporal Venner was standing up against the opposite wall. "Corporal Venner and I have a secret arrangement. On the nights that he guards our door, he lets me sneak out to come here for a little while." She paused and bit her lip. "What are you doing up this late? I thought you were supposed to be on early CAP with Mom tomorrow."

Racetrack took a deep, trembling breath as her eyes brimmed with tears and she glanced at a picture in her direct line of sight. "I couldn't sleep."

"I'll leave you alone." Laura nodded, turning away to head back to her quarters. But before she got very far, she stopped and turned back, looking at Racetrack thoughtfully. "He didn't feel anything, Racetrack."

Racetrack looked back to her, confused. "Who didn't?"

Laura came to stand beside her again. "Your little brother, Josh."

The tears that had been brimming in Racetrack's eyes fell decisively down her cheek. "How do you know that?" She breathed out almost inaudibly.

"How do I know a lot of things?" Laura shook her head and smiled thinly. "I don't know how I know, I just do."

"I'll wake up some nights; totally paralyzed with the thought that Josh was frightened right before he died." Racetrack sobbed, staring at the picture on the wall of a brown-haired, green-eyed little boy, smiling back with one of his front teeth missing. "My whole family—my parents, my seven other siblings—they all died too. But Josh was—."

"The baby of the family." Laura finished. "He was seven."

Racetrack cradled her forehead in the palm of her hand, but nodded. "I can't stop thinking about him, about how he died."

"He wasn't afraid, Racetrack. He didn't know what was happening." Laura looked at the picture. "He actually thought it was pretty."

"Pretty?" Racetrack repeated in disbelief.

"Your family lived in Thebes, and it was hit with two 30 megaton nuclear bombs. The first one dropped on the east side of the city." Laura told her softly. "Josh's room was your old room, and it faced the east. He saw the detonation out the window." She closed her eyes. "He didn't know what it was, and he just thought the bright light was really neat."

"He always liked fireworks." Racetrack choked out. "On the last Colonial Day before the attacks, I went home on leave and we all went up to the roof and watched them. You couldn't even talk to him while the show was going on; it was like nothing else existed to him besides the fireworks exploding in the sky."

"That's what his last moments were like, Racetrack." Laura whispered, opening her eyes again. "He saw the first bomb explode and while he was running to tell everybody about the bright light, the second bomb hit right over your neighborhood." She took Racetrack's hand in her own. "And then there was nothing, no pain, no fear; he just wasn't there anymore."

Racetrack closed her eyes and wiped the tears away from her cheek. She then gave Laura a heartbreaking smile and squeezed her hand before she let it go. "I've got early morning CAP, I should get some sleep." She walked away.

"Goodnight." Laura called after her down the corridor.

Corporal Venner walked over to Laura and stood beside her, gazing at the photos on the wall. "Do you know about the last moments of _everybody_ on this wall?"

"I don't know about the last moments of _anybody_ on this wall." Laura answered simply. "Everybody just thinks I have some innate knowledge, but that's not always the case."

"Then how did you know about Lt. Edmundson's brother?"

"I didn't." She replied without regret. "I'd heard her talking once. She was saying that nine years ago, when her youngest brother was born, they turned her old room into his nursery so that he could see the sun rise in the morning. Then from other conversations I overheard, I knew that her family lived in Thebes and that her baby brother's name was Josh." Laura pointed at the picture of Josh. "I saw her looking at that particular picture, and knew that the boy in it was the one she was thinking about. It was just a lucky guess that it was Josh."

"So all that stuff about how he died—you just made all that up?" Venner asked gently, without accusation. He saw her nod in confirmation. "Why?"

"It seemed like the right thing to do." Laura just shrugged. "Maybe Racetrack will be able to sleep in peace tonight."

* * *

"So if we set this algorithm into the program, the computer will know what to do without us giving it instructions." 

"But it won't be sentient, will it?" Laura asked with a touch of fear in her voice.

"No." Baltar laughed slightly. "It'll just be programmed."

"But if it can adjust itself to different scenarios and learn usage patterns, don't we run the risk that it will evolve into sentiency?"

"Sentient beings can think for themselves, not just respond to what their programmers want them to do."

"But isn't that what everybody does anyway?" Laura asked again, this time with wonder in her voice instead of fear. "I mean, even if you're sentient, you respond to what others want. Everyone wants to help; everyone wants to do their part. If you're working together to achieve something—."

"Ah, but you see, that is the difference." Baltar smirked and pointed to his temple. "Sentient beings must _choose_ to work with others to achieve results, not just be programmed to do so. That's what makes it more than just a machine. You don't just do things because the network will disintegrate without your input. You do it because you choose to."

"Sounds kinda selfish to me." Laura said, closing the book in front of her.

"You think that being your own entity, following your own path, is selfish?"

"It is if you were created for the sole purpose of achieving something more significant; being a part of something greater than just yourself."

"Yes, giving of yourself to serve a higher purpose is certainly more altruistic. But think how much more significant what you give will be if you give it willingly." Baltar looked over to Six who was sitting up on the end of the table with her legs crossed. "Instead of just because it's your foretold function."

"What happens when what you choose to do, goes against that function?"

"That's the drawback of sentiency." He admitted glumly. "Sometimes they don't always do what you want them to do."

"Like the Cylons." Laura stated.

"Yes," Baltar nodded. "Like the Cylons. They turned against those that created them." He again looked at Six and smiled. "But, the Cylons now choose to work together as a network…….or even a family—if you wish to believe." He stuttered to amend. "To serve their _own_ purpose."

"But that wasn't what they were created for." Laura replied simply. "They were created to serve us."

"US?" Six spoke up with indignation as she slid off the table. "This conversation is so human, I can barely stand to be in the same room." She then closed her eyes and her face took on a reverent glow. "Almighty God, work your will before your child is corrupted beyond recognition."

"Why wasn't the task that we gave them enough for the Cylons?" Laura continued.

Six slammed her hand down on the table. "Because the human race became a _wretched abomination_ that twisted and infected the entire universe that God had given them until there was nothing left to do but _wipe them out_ and start anew!" She seethed through clenched teeth, her eyes still screwed shut.

Baltar jumped slightly at her rant and rubbed his twitching neck. "Sometimes you find that what you were created for is not enough."

They stayed silent for several moments until Laura spoke with a hesitant whisper. "Doctor, did you know my mother well?"

"Yes." Baltar grinned sexily up at Six, who was smiling back with her eyes open again. "I know your mother well."

"I don't mean Mom." Laura corrected. "I mean Boomer—Sharon Valerii."

"Um, yes. Yes, I did." He replied with caution. "Much of what I'm teaching you about your species comes from knowledge I gleaned from her………… Why do you ask?"

"What she was created for wasn't enough for her, and she turned against the Cylons. She betrayed them." Laura shrugged, answering simply. "Because the love she had for Helo was more important to her than the purpose the Cylons had given her."

"The only purpose of her………._mother_—." Six said with revulsion in her voice. "—was to be an incubator for the child of God; for the child of the Cylon. And as soon as she served that purpose, she was no longer necessary. So now she's _gone_." Six mocked harshly, coming to stand behind Laura. "And the _father_ that was so important? Would have been any fool stupid enough to fall into our trap. Even the _precious love _that they felt for each other was a cleverly concocted manipulation designed to achieve _the purpose that the Cylons had given her._"

"Maybe Sharon served the purpose she had been given _by_ falling in love with Lt. Agathon." Baltar smiled soothingly at Laura, attempting to ignore the agitation of his invisible companion. He patted Laura's arm. "After all, everyone got something good out of it."

Six stood beside Laura and the fury emanating from her eyes practically burned a hole in Baltar's skin. Her breath came out in an angry hiss. "Tell her that her _parents_ were pawns, were dupes. Tell her that her parents weren't important in God's plan beyond the inception of it. Tell her that her parents were nothing!" She screamed.

"NO, I don't think I will!" Baltar shouted angrily.

Six stepped back instantly, knowing that she had gone too far. Her face distorted in shame and she looked to the floor.

"You '_don't think you will'_ what, Doctor?" Laura asked, looking at him with concern.

Baltar let his tremors of agitation fall away. "I don't think I will, um…….give you your lesson in, um……..microbiology today." He stuttered, looking at the papers in front of him. "It seems like what we've already covered will be enough to process for one evening. We can do that lesson tomorrow." He then pointedly looked back up to Six. "When it's not so crowded in here."

"Okay." Laura got off the stool and started to gather her things. "Chief Tyrol said that I could watch him refit the compression engine on a Raptor this afternoon, if I had time."

"Very good." Baltar nodded. "Goodbye, Laura."

"Bye, Doc." She smiled and walked to the door.

"Laura?" He almost shouted, stopping her in her tracks.

She turned back around to face him. "Yeah?"

"The higher purpose that you were speaking of, do you know what yours is?"

Six moved to stand right beside him. "Gaius." She uttered in warning.

"No." Laura replied simply. "But I know I have one, everybody does. We just have to wait for the right time for it to reveal itself."

"Who told you that?"

"My parents." Laura answered.

"Because that's what parents do." Baltar said, looking up from his chair at Six. "They tell you that you have a purpose and then they guide you to it. They help you become who you are."

"Gaius, NO." Six said harshly.

Laura smiled widely and then laughed. "That's what they're supposed to do, if you're lucky like I am…………and have good ones."

"But it would be easier if you knew what you're purpose was, wouldn't it?" He looked to Laura. "If someone would just come right out and tell you?"

"Gaius." Six again warned him. "Now is not the time."

"I don't know." Laura shrugged. "I actually think you're supposed to find that out for yourself. It's better that way."

"Laura, what if I was to tell you—."

"Don't speak another word, Gaius!" Six sneered into his ear.

"—that you have a very specific purpose. A righteous and spec—." Baltar's words were cut off as his face was slammed into the table.

Six stood hovering over him with her hand gripped around the back of his neck. "It is not for you to determine the timetable of God's plan." She furiously whispered at the back of his head. "He will do that for himself."

"Are you alright?" Laura nearly shouted in surprise, walking back to the edge of the table.

Baltar lifted his head off the table and rubbed his neck. When he glanced up to Laura, he saw that she was staring at him with wide, confused eyes. "Yes." He chuckled frenetically. "I don't know what happened there."

Laura looked at him like he'd grown a third eye. "I'm pretty sure you slammed your head into the table."

"Yes………well, you know, it's a……..um, _trick_ that I learned during my many, many, many years of scholastic study." He stuttered. "To stay awake—refresh the mind."

"Mom and Dad just drink coffee." She said cautiously.

"Yes, well I am a genius." He replied, looking around the room. "Geniuses need more of a—_jolt_, if you will."

Laura pointed back to the door. "I'm gonna……..go."

"Yes, yes, yes." He grinned at her, slightly regaining his composure. "Lesson over."

Laura walked backwards to the door, opened it and slipped out into the hallway, shutting it behind her.

"Was that really necessary?" Baltar hissed at Six, fingering the tender spot on his forehead.

"Was I supposed to let you unravel the plans of Almighty God with a couple of careless words?" Six whispered soothingly, stroking his hair.

"If God's plans could be unraveled simply by my words, then he's not that 'Almighty' to begin with, is he?"

"I'm already angry, Gaius. Do you really think that blasphemy is the right way to go in this instance?" She smiled hatefully.

"Why can't I tell her what God has in store for her?"

"You give your lessons, but you never really listen to them, do you?" Six smirked in awe of him. "Perhaps you think you are above what you teach."

"If she knew—."

"She would be terrified. Repulsed." Six finished for him. "She stills identifies with humanity. She still thinks Cylons are the enemy. If she knew that her destiny was to help them, she'd set herself on fire before she let it be fulfilled." She kissed the reddening spot on his forehead. "We will open the window, but she has to see the light on her own."

"You intend that I should win her heart and mind?" He chuckled in disbelief. "And how am I supposed to do that exactly? With only an hour and a half each day, teaching her about mitochondria and nanotechnology?"

"Give it time, Gaius." She assured him. "The task which God has bestowed upon her is the greatest in all of history. She will lead the new generation of God's children. She will lead us to a new plane of existence, where everything will be made clean again. Something that noble has to be done with a willing heart." Six smiled reverently. "She will be the greatest Cylon ever created. But she must first _choose_ that path. That is why God has allowed this whole……….._human experiment_ to continue. So that she will experience all that humanity has to offer. But humanity will falter, like it always does. And when that happens, she will know that the path that leads to their total annihilation—is the right path."

"I understand." He placated her, turning away from her gaze. "But perhaps it's best that you not be in the room for the teachings anymore." He admonished. "You tend to get temperamental."

"I realize I got carried away, Gaius." She pleaded, turning his face back to her. "But you need me with you; we must raise our daughter together."

"It still torments you, doesn't it?" Baltar asked with a strange mixture of accusation and sympathy. "That's why you have such animosity toward Boomer and Helo and what they had together—you're jealous."

"Jealous?" She laughed slightly, trying to hide that he was right.

"The love that Helo and Boomer had for each other was enough for a child to be created against immeasurable odds." He whispered, watching her indignant look be replaced by a rejected one. "You and I were together for two years…….and nothing anywhere close to that happened."

Her eyes cast down to the floor. "Why wasn't I enough, Gaius? Why couldn't that have been our child?" When she looked back to him, her eyes were filled with tears. "Why didn't you love me enough?"

"It wasn't you, darling." He cupped her face. "It was me. I wasn't capable of giving myself over to that kind of life. I wasn't capable of that kind of love." He moved to where his lips were almost brushing hers. "But things change."

* * *

"Hey there, Mrs. Adama." Lee whispered in Kara's ear when he came up behind her as she stood at the kitchen counter and grabbed some of the food they had left over for her. "How was your shift?" 

She leaned back against him as he nibbled on her earlobe. "Long and boring and filled with crazy people that I didn't want to be around." She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'd rather be here with crazy people that I _do_ want to be around."

"How about we put the toddler to bed early and pick up where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted this morning?" He kissed her softly.

"Sounds like a plan…….and it'll work too," Kara nipped at his lower lip. "Because we'll just read her a bedtime story and put her in her crib and she'll go right to sleep."

Laura exuberantly bounded into the room. "Hey guys, whatcha doin'?"

Kara slapped her forehead. "Oh, that's right. That plan won't work, because she's _not_ a toddler anymore." She pulled away to go back to her leftovers. "She's an extremely curious teenager who was the one that interrupted our lusty morning in the first place."

Laura deposited some materials on the table. "Mom, are you gonna help me with this or not?"

"Laura! What the hell are you trying to do to me, huh?" Kara groaned in exasperation. "I've been off-shift for—." She looked at her watch. "Eleven minutes, fourteen seconds. Can I please have twenty minutes so that I can eat my food in peace?" She rolled her eyes and sat at the table, clearing away some of Laura's things so she could set her plate down. "Then I promise you, you can have as much of my blood as you want."

"Blood?" Lee repeated, taking off his jacket and putting it over the back of a chair, before sitting down in it.

"Doctor Baltar is teaching me about blood types, and he gave me some lab materials so I could test some." Laura answered, gesturing to the items on the table. "And since I don't _have_ a blood type, I'll have to use my unwitting _human test subjects_." She rubbed her hands together like a maniacal scientist.

"So, I assume you want some of my blood too?" Lee chuckled.

Laura leaned over to playfully pat his cheek. "Awww, Daddy, I thought you'd never ask."

"Um, Lee?" Kara uttered quietly as she took a bite of food, looking back to her husband who was only clad in his tanks. "You might want to put your jacket back on."

"Kara, I'm relaxing in my quarters and it's really hot in here." He chuckled. "You wanna give me one good reason why I should put my jacket back on?"

Laura looked over at Lee and grinned widely, pointing to his neck. "Nice bite mark, Dad."

Lee's eyes got wide and he reached up to touch the spot she was pointing to. "Kara!" He stood up and walked to the bathroom, looking at it in the mirror. "You couldn't have said something to me about this?"

"Did you not just hear me tell you to put your jacket back on?" Kara smirked.

"Laura!" Lee shouted as he came back into the living area, holding Boy. "If it's not too much to ask, do you think you could get your damn cat to stop sleeping in the bathroom sink?" He then roughly deposited the cat in Laura's lap.

She stroked Boy behind his ears to soothe him and pouted at her father. "Man, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She then giggled. "Mom's side of the bed, if the hickey is any indication. Is that why you're in such a bad mood? Because when I knocked on the door this morning, you were _in the middle_ of something? Something that you didn't get to _finish_?"

Lee shook his head in amused disbelief, sitting back down at the table. "I never thought I'd be having this conversation with my twenty-month old daughter."

"That must have been why you guys took so long to come out of the bedroom." Laura chuckled at Lee's growing discomfort.

"Laura, you might want to cool it." Kara joined in the laughter. "Your father's starting to look queasy."

Laura rolled her eyes. "You think I don't know about sex, Dad?"

Lee pointed at Laura warningly. "I don't want to talk about this with you."

"Well, you better talk to me about it _soon_. I'm getting to be that age; the age where parents have to have '_the talk_' with their kids." Laura replied, teasing him. "Unless, of course, you _want_ my only knowledge of sex to be seedy encounters in storage closets."

Kara looked up from her plate and gulped loudly, Lee's face was terror-stricken.

"Not _my_ encounters." Laura assured both her parents as she saw their panic. "It's just; you hear things on a Battlestar, stories about other crewmembers. But _I've_ never had sex."

"That's exceptionally good to know." Lee smiled nervously.

"I'm too young to have sex." Laura added. "Not to mention, the poor guy I did it with would be totally freaked out." She giggled again. "I mean, wouldn't you be freaked out if you were having sex and saw a red flashing light go up and down your partner's back?"

"Excuse me?" Kara laughed.

"Doctor Baltar told me that when a Cylon gets _excited_, if you catch my drift, they get this red strobe-light thing running up and down their spine."

Lee laughed slightly, but when what she said fully registered, he went rigid and leaned up in his chair. "_Baltar_ told you that?" He hissed.

"Don't get upset, Dad." Laura laughed. "I know it's a little creepy, but it's not like he purposefully set aside time to tell me about Cylon sex, it just came up during one of my other lessons."

Kara set her fork down on the table and screwed her eyes shut at Laura's unintentional revelation, fortifying herself for what was sure to come.

"One of your _other _lessons?" Lee hissed again. "What specifically has he been teaching you in these lessons?"

Laura's face changed from innocent and amused to pained and regretful. She looked to Kara for instructions, but Kara still had her eyes closed. "Nothing, really."

"Has he been teaching you about Cylon stuff?" Lee shouted, standing up from the table.

Laura looked up at him and shook her head."NO."

"Laura? This has gone on long enough." Kara whispered, her palm cradling her forehead. She looked up and met Laura's eyes. "I don't want you to have to lie to your father."

The ringing in Lee's ears made it hard for him to hear anything, and the heated fury coming from his eyes was enough to set things on fire. "I'm gonna frakking kill the bastard."

"No, you won't." Kara replied almost inaudibly. She locked gazes with him and let her eyes tell him the truth.

"Mom………. I'm sorry." Laura whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She lowered her head regretfully. "I didn't mean to."

"It's okay, sweetheart. I know you didn't." Kara said, rising from her chair. "This is my fault. I should've told him about it a long time ago."

Lee's expression was blank when he finally understood what was going on. "You _knew_ about this?" He exhaled in disbelief. "You knew that this was going on with Baltar and you didn't stop it?"

Kara looked at Lee. "Why would I stop it? He was only doing what he was asked to do………. what _I_ asked him to do." She replied with a distinct tremor in her voice. She saw the betrayal in his eyes, and had to look away. So she looked down at her daughter. "Laura, why don't you take Boy and go into our bedroom for a while?"

Laura stood up from her chair. "I wanna stay." She whispered. "If you're gonna get in trouble because of me, I should—."

"I'm gonna get in trouble because of _me_, because of something that _I_ did." Kara cupped Laura's cheek. "And your father and I need to talk about this."

"But if it's about me," Laura cried, gazing at her father, whose body was now wracked with heartbreak and defeat. "I wanna stay and help explain."

"Well, that's sweet of you." Kara smiled nervously, also looking over to where Lee was standing silently. "But when I said that your father and I needed to talk, I actually meant that we'd be screaming at each other for a while." Kara kissed her forehead. "And I'd rather you not be in the room for that."

Laura just nodded. She grabbed Boy and walked into her parent's bedroom.

Kara watched her walk away and then turned back to Lee. He just stared at her for several moments. "Say something." She whispered in agony.

"What do you want me to say?" He chuckled hatefully; he then scratched the bridge of his nose and shrugged. "I mean, you asked Baltar to teach her about being a Cylon."

She looked away from him. "Yes."

"When did you ask him to do this?" Lee tapped his finger on the table.

"About an hour after you ordered him _not_ to."

"So this was your plan all along?" The betrayal made his voice rough and raw. "You and I discussed this, and we agreed—."

"I know we did." She answered softly. "I changed my mind."

He picked up her plate from the table and threw it against the wall, shattering it in a dozen pieces. "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT!"

Kara's head jerked at the violence of the action, but her body stayed immobile. She took in several, shuddering gulps of air and brought a trembling hand up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

"And you _didn't_ change your mind, because you never agreed with me in the first place." He shouted at her. "But you knew that what _I_ wanted was not what _you_ wanted. So you just lied to me and told me that it _was_……… and then went against me behind my back."

"I know." She muttered breathlessly, gripping the back of a chair and lowering her head to escape his accusing eyes.

"How am I ever supposed to trust you again, Kara?"

She looked back up resolutely. "I don't know, Lee. Maybe you could recognize that this isn't _about you_." She harshly pushed the chair back to the table. "It's not about what _you_ want! Frak, it's not even about what _I_ want! You think this was easy for me? I've been walking around with this weight in my heart for months now."

"Then why did you do it?" He screamed.

"Because you weren't going to!" She screamed back and then started to cry outright. "I am sorry that I went against your wishes, I am sorry that I deceived you about it." She struggled to take a calming breath. "But I am NOT sorry that I did it." She pointed to the shattered plate on the floor. "And you can throw everything in this room up against that wall, but I will _still_ never be sorry."

"You made the decision without me." He hissed.

"No, Lee. _You_ made the decision without _me_." She countered. "You made the decision for both of us long before we ever _had_ that discussion."

"I thought it was what was best for Laura." He defended softly.

"How? How was it best for her?" Kara asked gently. "Never acknowledging or learning about _half of what she is_? Having to feel ashamed of it?"

"I've never made her feel ashamed, Kara."

"She has to walk around with armed guards, Lee! She's never allowed to be alone in a room." Kara started waving her hands around, gesturing at the world they lived in. "She has to have medical tests done on her every week, and she grows so fast that her body fights back and makes her sick." She stopped and looked at him, her eyes firm. "She can't escape what she is………….but at the same time, no one's ever allowed to talk to her about what it means. How is that _supposed_ to make her feel? You don't think that makes her feel ashamed?"

"I LOVE HER." Lee shot back.

"Then you have to love _all of her_!" Kara sobbed, pointing to the door. "Gods, Lee. She is wonderful, she is amazing. And I know that you see that, because it's not exactly something that you can ignore." She took a step closer to him and her voice softened. "But have you ever stopped to think that she's wonderful because of _all the parts_ of her put together? Even the parts that you try to ignore?"

"She's my daughter, and that is how I will always see her." Lee told her, also pointing to the door. "I don't see her as a Cylon."

"She is your daughter." Kara agreed and closed her eyes, the light of the room reflecting off her wet cheeks. "But she _is_ a Cylon." She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "And I'm………. gonna go check on her."

"Kara, this is not over." Lee warned her as she walked toward the bedroom.

"I know it's not. It's not over by a long shot." Kara whispered. She kept her back to him, but she turned her head. "Do you remember the words that you said to me, that first day in sickbay? When we were looking down at that baby on the bed? When we promised to be a family?"

Lee nodded. "I remember."

"We can't pick and choose, Lee. We're not doing this halfway." Kara repeated as she opened the door. "It's all or nothing."

She shut it behind her and he was left alone in the room. "All or nothing." He whispered to himself.

* * *

Five hours later, after Lee had paced every section of the ship at least twice, after he had pounded his fists raw against the punching bag in the gym, and after he'd done enough paperwork to get caught up for several days, he made his way home. 

The last words Kara had said to him, _his_ past words, were echoing in his ears as he came to the hatch. He waved at Corporal Wilkes, who in turn just nodded sadly.

He carefully opened the hatch, hoping that Laura would be asleep. He was able to make out her figure, lying in her bed on the other side of the room. He walked over and leaned down to touch her shoulder, but pulled away before he made contact.

"I'm not asleep." Laura whispered, still facing the wall. "And neither is Mom."

"Why are you guys still awake?" He knelt down and lightly laid his hand on her shoulder.

"I was waiting for you to come back." She replied, turning to face him. "And Mom's been crying since she came out and saw that you weren't here."

Lee lowered his head in shame. "I never meant to hurt her."

"And she never meant to hurt you. You have no idea how hard it was for her to keep it a secret from you." Laura breathed deeply, settling against her pillows. "And it was hard for me too, because I knew that she was doing it for me."

Lee took her hand in his. "Have I ever made you feel ashamed, little Laura?"

"No." Laura answered firmly, pausing for several seconds. "At least not intentionally." She added less firmly.

"Gods." He whispered, bringing their entwined hands up to his forehead.

"Dad, it's not your fault." She comforted him. "Everybody does it, even Mom. All of you are my family. Everybody on this ship has made me feel like I belong here—."

He gripped her hand tighter. "That's because you do."

"But they _know_, Dad." Laura bit back a sob. "Somewhere in the back of their minds, out of the corner of their eye………they see me as a Cylon. Because I am." A small crease formed in the space between her eyebrows as her face crumpled. "And they were able to overcome it, but I needed to learn more about the reason it was so hard for them. I needed to know why it was such miracle for them to be able to love me."

"I came to terms with you as my daughter two seconds after I first held you in my arms." He told her, a tear falling down his face as he brushed the hair away from her blue eyes. "I guess now I have to come to terms with you as a half-Cylon."

She sat up in bed and kissed his cheek. "No, Dad. What you have to come to terms with is that I'm both at the same time."

* * *

Lee opened the door to their bedroom with caution, again hoping that the woman in question would be asleep. Hoping that he could just slide in bed next to her and wrap himself around her; forgetting that this day had ever happened. 

But when he shut the door behind him, he heard her sharp intake of breath, and he knew that she had been waiting for him to return. He knew that they would have to speak to each other; they would have to forgive each other. He knew that was a good thing. But right now, all he wanted was to get to the part where they were lying in bed, pressed against each other.

She instinctively and miraculously knew this, and she held back the blanket for him, granting him entrance.

As he slipped into bed next to her, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her forehead against his. "Tonight, after I came out of our room and discovered that you had left………….I had a thought flash in my mind that you wouldn't come back." She sniffled as he settled in next to her. "But it was only for a split second, because I knew that you could never do that to us."

"I had that same thought. But it was only for a split second too" He chuckled sadly, rubbing his hands up her back. "Because you're right, I could never do that, Kara." He kissed her softly. "Not as long as I'm still breathing."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She cried, her hold on him growing tighter. "I did it for Laura, and I don't regret that." She whispered as he kissed away her tears. "But I did it the wrong way." She laughed remorsefully. "I should have thrown things at you, screamed at you, and tied you to the bed until you changed your mind."

He pulled back from her and grinned sexily. "We can still try that if you want."

She smiled back and kissed him again. "I should have fought with you, fought for us and our family; instead of just cutting you out." Her face contorted in shame. "It was killing me that I did that, Lee……….. because I can't do this without you."

"You know, I'm almost positive that I had a life before you came into it. I'm sure I must have." He gently traced a finger down the side of her face. "But I've been trying and trying, and I can't remember it." He took a deep breath as she leaned in and pressed her lips to the skin of his neck. "Maybe it just wasn't worth remembering."

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

"We have to leave the area, even though we haven't secured the supplies we came to this sector for. The attacks have just been too severe." The Admiral said as he stood, defeated and burdened, looking down at the star chart. He pointed to a particular path in the northwest corner. "Our course will take us through this quadrant."

"Okay."

He looked down at the person sitting in front of him at the table. "Do you have any advice?"

Laura's eyes shot up to meet his. "Advice?"

"Warnings? Insight?" Adama asked in a raspy, breathless voice.

Laura looked back to the map and pointed at two celestial bodies. "These are pulsars; you should stay away from them if you can." She exhaled, glancing back up at him. "Not only because they're unstable ………but because the EM interference would muck up the dradis. Make it hard for us to see any unfriendly vessels that may be in the area."

"_Will _there be any unfriendlies?" He inquired nervously.

She shook her head and her eyebrows furrowed. "How would I know?"

"You sometimes see things." He sat down at the table with her and placed a hand on her forearm. "If you have some sort of connection……..if you know anything—?"

"How would I know?" She repeated again, more harshly this time.

He lowered his head and looked at the chart for the thousandth time. He rubbed his eyes in frustrated exhaustion. "You try to hide things about yourself—for our benefit—so that we'll feel comfortable." He sighed sadly. "But being comfortable is not the issue here, if you know something—?"

She shook her head again. "I don't know anything."

His internal agitation could no longer be hidden and he gripped her arm a little tighter. "You don't have to do that…….I'm _asking_ you……..I _want _you to help us."

"Stop asking!" She almost shouted, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't know anything. I can't help you."

"People are dying, Laura!" He shot back, pulling on her arm as the harshness of his emotions radiated in his voice. "Duck just died yesterday!"

"I know that!" She did shout this time, the tears falling down her face as she pulled her arm away from his. "I know that." She whispered agonizingly.

Adama's face fell as he looked at his granddaughter. He couldn't say or do anything except watch her get out of her chair and move to the other side of the table. His eyes filled with tears as well. "Laura?"

"When was the last time you slept?" She asked softly, looking him up and down as he sat, slumped in the chair.

The concern in her eyes made his heart break. Even after what he just did, she still cared about him. Instead of answering the question, he had a moment of clarity. "Oh gods, little Laura, I'm so sorry."

She walked back over and pulled up a chair until she was sitting right next to him and wrapped her arms around him. "There have been five attacks in the last three days. You've lost four pilots in that time. Mom and Dad are frakking losing their minds."

"Don't cuss, little girl." Adama chuckled sadly.

"You have an excuse." She whispered, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I _don't_ have an excuse. You come here for our weekly lunch and I bombard you with accusations and questions." He patted her arm apologetically. "I'm your grandfather, I should never have asked."

"You _had_ to ask." She informed him gently. "You're not just my grandfather, you're _the Admiral_. You'd be shirking your responsibilities if you didn't use every resource that you have."

"You're not a resource." He pulled her away and cupped her face in his hands. "And what about my responsibility to you?"

"You've put me first for most of my life." She let out a shaky breath. "But I'm not the most important thing in this case. It's okay to put me second this time." She turned her face away and nervously adjusted the fabric of her shirt. "You do know that if I could help you—I would." She whispered.

"I know." He turned her face back and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry that I ever……." He closed his eyes and shook his head regretfully. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You should get some sleep." She kissed his cheek and stood up, walking away. "I'll leave you alone."

He stopped her before she reached the door. "I could not be sorrier, Laura."

She turned around. "It's okay." She smiled slightly. "We'll forget it ever happened."

"I'd prefer that your parents not know about this." He pleaded.

She smiled a little wider this time. "Yeah…… I don't think I'll be telling them about this."

The look in his eyes was open and sincere. "I love you, Laura."

"I love you, too." She nodded. "Get some sleep."

She exited the room, closed the door behind her and leaned back against, clutching her chest and struggling not to burst into tears.

"You okay, Laura?" Corporal Townsend asked, seeing her precarious position.

She bucked up quickly, shook off her hurt and flashed a dishonest grin. "Great. I'm great."

* * *

"_This _is who you got to baby-sit Laura?" Kara asked Lee, pointing to the person in question. 

"I'm not a baby!" Laura spoke up from the other side of the room. "I don't need a babysitter! I could go hang out with Chief and Cally on the flight deck, or sit in on the Triad game in the rec room; try and win back the money that Dad lost last week."

"Chief and Cally are working on that special project; you can't go to the fight deck tonight." Lee told Laura.

"Or any other night for the last two weeks." Laura pouted from her place on the couch. "And what exactly is this _special project _that no one will tell me about?"

"You're not going to the flight deck." Kara replied curtly.

"I promise I won't get into anything!" Laura whined.

"Laura, we talked about this." Kara rebuked. "You just had a seizure two days ago, you hadn't been sleeping well for days before that………I want you to stay home with a responsible caretaker." She then turned back to Lee, glaring at him. "If your father could ever _find one_!"

"Most everyone else is busy." Lee reminded Kara as he adjusted the sash on his dress uniform. "They're either on shift or going to the Colonial Day celebration as well." Lee gestured to the babysitter. "This is the only person I could find that didn't have somewhere better to be."

Kara looked at herself in the mirror and smoothed down the fabric of her simple, dark-green, sheath dress. "That in itself is kinda pathetic. Are we sure we want somebody that lame to be looking after our daughter?"

Hotdog looked around the room in disbelief. "I can hear you, ya know."

Kara turned away from the mirror to cast an examining glance at Hotdog. "Yeah, I realize that you're in the room."

Lee came up behind Kara and stroked her bare shoulders. "I almost get the feeling that you don't want to go to this dinner party tonight, Mrs. Adama." He whispered.

She turned her face slightly and grinned. "What would give you that feeling? Could it be the hundred times that I _told you_ I didn't want to go?"

"Could be." He chuckled as he kissed below her ear. "That and the fact that you're looking to find even the slightest fault with the person I got to watch Laura."

She chuckled too, turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck. "But in all fairness, Lee, I didn't have to look very _hard_ to find fault."

"I'm still standing right here!" Hotdog reminded them again.

Laura got up from the couch and stood beside Hotdog, petting her cat. "Don't take offense, Hotdog. It's just that Mom doesn't think you're the best person to watch me, because she thinks you and I are on the same level of emotional maturity."

"Actually," Lee corrected, pointing at Laura. "We both think you're on a _higher_ level of emotional maturity than Costanza."

"I'm gonna leave." Hotdog muttered, turning back to head to the door.

"No!" The three Adamas shouted at the same time, causing him to stop moving.

"No, Hotdog, I'm sorry." Kara told him half-heartedly. "It's just, ya know………… you can get into trouble faster than anybody I've ever met in my life." She took a breath. "And that's saying something—'cause I've met _me_."

"We'll be fine." Hotdog looked over at Laura. "We won't get into any trouble. I'll just play it by ear, think on my feet. I'm good at that." He then looked at Lee and Kara. "Right?"

Lee and Kara glanced at each other nervously. "Yeah, we better make a list for them of what to do when things go wrong." Lee muttered.

Hotdog and Laura went to sit on the couch and started playing with Boy. Kara grabbed a pen and a pad of paper and stood at the kitchen counter, writing away. "Do you think we could get some anti-radiation meds from Cottle?"

Lee groaned. "Kara, why would they possibly need anti-radiation meds?"

"It's Hotdog!" She rasped back. "I'm not taking any chances."

"She won't need anti-radiation meds." Lee replied. "But where is her communal syringe of Yestradin?"

"It's hidden in my underwear drawer." She whispered. "Will you go get it?"

He pulled her to him. "Oh, baby. You know how I love having my hands in your underwear."

She laughed breathily and pushed him away. "Go get it." Lee walked into the bedroom and Kara looked at Hotdog and Laura. "Do you know CPR?"

"Yeah." Hotdog answered.

"I was talking to Laura." Kara replied seriously.

"I know CPR, Mom." Laura laughed.

Lee came back into the room holding the syringe in his hand and placed it on the counter in front of Kara. "Speaking of shots." He said in a low voice as he stood next to her. "When I was in sickbay getting my allergy shot, Cottle mentioned that you hadn't been in for _your_ monthly shot."

She looked back to him hesitantly, but with a firm demeanor. "I, um………I'm not taking them anymore." She answered in the same gentle whisper. "It'd be a waste."

"Kara, are you sure—?"

"Lee, I told you what Cottle said." She interrupted. "'Practically non-existent' doesn't leave a whole lot of room for doubt." She sighed and fiddled with the pen. "The fleet's gonna be out of the contraceptive shots one day, and Cottle should save what we have left for the women that can _actually get pregnant_."

He gazed at her for several moments and then took a curled strand of her hair in his fingers. "You look really beautiful right now."

She leaned into his hand. "You said that this morning when I woke up with my hair sticking out in spikes and a pillow crease running down the side of my face."

"It was true then, too." Lee whispered hotly.

"You look pretty sexy yourself." Kara moaned softly. "Ya know, we could _pretend_ that we're going to the dinner party, but ditch it and go sneak off into an empty storage closet instead."

"CAN'T." Lee said strongly, mostly to himself as he felt the pull of her suggestion running through him. "The Admiral of the Fleet and the President of the Twelve Colonies expect us to be there."

"But what fun is it to do what's expected of us?" She breathed out as she traced his collar.

He groaned and pulled her hand away. "Kara." He warned.

"Fine." She pouted at him playfully. "You never let me have any fun."

"We'll have plenty of fun tonight when we get home." He entwined his hand with hers and grinned lustfully. "_This_ Colonial Day, you're going to end up in _my_ bed."

She didn't return the grin. Instead, she stepped back suddenly, put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "Fix what you just said."

He gulped loudly when he realized that he had stepped out of bounds with his previous comment. "Yeah, um, I, I,…….."

"Not fixing it fast enough!" She hissed. "Fix it NOW."

He held up his hands and walked to her carefully. "You are my favorite person, you're kind, and funny, and beautiful—."

She crinkled her nose and shook her head. "Yeah, that's not really doing it for me."

"You're also the best pilot in the history of the Colonial Fleet." He finished.

She smiled instantly and stepped back to where she was pressed against him again. "Okay, now I'm hot for you again."

"You guys are gonna be late!" Laura warned them from the couch as they stood grinning at each other.

"Yeah, okay." Kara pulled away from Lee and grabbed the list from the counter; she walked over and sat on the coffee table in front of Hotdog and Laura and held it up for them to examine. "Okay, this is the list. Do not deviate from the list."

"You can consider this list an official memo from the CAG and Deputy CAG." Lee added, pointing at Hotdog.

Kara continued. "There is a guard right outside the door. She isn't allowed any more candy tonight, so don't let her eat any, no matter how many times she tries to manipulate you into letting her have more. Make sure she feeds her cat and changes his litter box, make sure she finishes her homework, make sure she's in bed by 2100—."

"2100?" Laura scoffed, rolling her eyes. "First you get me a baby-sitter and now you give me a bed-time?"

"You haven't been sleeping well lately. You've been cranky and tired and sullen and we'd really rather not deal with it anymore." Lee explained. He walked over to pick up a book on the desk, then walked back and dropped it in Hotdog's lap. "When Laura's asleep, you can go over this _theory of flight_ book that the Admiral gave to her."

"Why do I need to go over a _theory of flight_ book? I've been flying for close to two and a half years." Hotdog laughed as he picked up the book. "Don't get blown up, land the plane in one piece: that's my basic theory of flight."

Kara looked at the book and then curiously at Laura. "Grandpa gave you his old book? That was one of his favorites. I didn't think he would ever part with it."

"He still feels guilty." Laura muttered in explanation, shrugging off-handedly.

"Guilty?" Lee repeated, growing concerned. "What would he have to feel guilty about?"

Laura froze, but quickly recovered, thinking of dishonest reply. "Um, he had to cancel our lunch last week. He feels bad about it."

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry about that. I'm sure he didn't want to cancel." Kara sympathized, placing a hand on Laura's knee. "But you know that this last week has just been crazy…….for all of us."

Laura smiled slightly and took a shallow breath. "I know, Mom."

Kara smiled back and held up the piece of paper in her hands, she looked up to Lee. "Can I finish my list?"

He laughed. "Please continue."

Kara looked to Hotdog. "Do not tell her any off-colored stories or jokes. Do not leave our quarters unless the Cylons attack and Battle Stations are called. If that happens, take her to sickbay. That's her designated shelter in an attack." She took a deep breath and glanced down the list. "If she has a seizure, move everything away from her so that she doesn't hit anything, and if you can……." Kara paused as Lee came up behind her with the syringe and handed it to Hotdog. "Give her this to ease her tremors."

"You know how to use a syringe?" Lee asked seriously. Hotdog nodded with the same seriousness.

"Then take her straight to sickbay." Kara finished, and she looked down at the paper again. "I can't think of anything else that's not on the list."

Laura leaned forward and took the list from Kara's hand, she also examined it thoroughly. "Hey Mom, you know what's not on the list?" She asked, with narrowed eyes. "What Hotdog should do if I eat all the candy and then don't feed Boy, or do my homework, or go to bed by 2100…………. because I'm too busy having a seizure while he tells me dirty jokes as the Cylons attack."

Lee dissolved into laughter as Kara angrily grabbed the paper back from her daughter. "Do not make fun of the list! The list is sacred!"

"Will you guys go already?" Laura groaned in amusement as Lee pulled Kara up from the coffee table.

Lee grabbed Kara's hand and dragged her to the door. "We'll be back by 23:30."

Laura shouted after them. "I hope you'll still be able to recognize me when you get back…….what with all my new tattoos and piercings and stuff!"

_

* * *

__Humans have a funny way of not doing what they're supposed to do………………._

_This is not the way I thought it would go down, I knew they'd be suspicious, but………….. They're human, the way you are……………._

_Why are you talking to me like I'm not one of them? ………………..In some ways, you never were…………….._

_Oh, I see, that explains it. You're not here because you mean us any harm or because you're a programmed enemy of humanity……………..._

_You're beginning to see humans as we see them………………they are masters of self-destruction………………_

_Even if it's software instead of an emotion, it's real to her…………….we use that………._

……………_.let destiny take its course……………you have a path, you will be spared their fate…………_

_You're all the same………………_

"You will have to make a choice soon." Her companion told her once she was fully ensconced in her dream.

"I know." Laura replied, looking around the wet and lush green forest before turning back to the wise old woman dressed in purple priestess robes. "But which choice is the right one?"

"I can't tell you that." Elosha replied. "You have to decide that for yourself. But it's not about right and wrong, it's about following your heart. You have two families, and they are at war with each other."

"They will always be at war with each other." Laura sighed, looking down at the grave markers in the moist ground. "Too much has happened; the two sides will never be able to find peace."

"There is a way." The priestess told her. "The two sides live inside you, if you find peace within yourself, they will find it as well."

"It's not peace, Elosha." Laura responded, tears filling her eyes. "It's _victory_. One side will win, the other will be defeated. No matter what I do, no matter which side I choose ………people will die." Her face crumpled. "And I don't want that burden."

"But that has always been your burden." Elosha said, placing her hand on Laura's. "It has been since the day you were conceived."

"The choice is yours." A man's voice spoke from behind her. "But the choice to make it or not………that has never been up for debate."

Laura looked at the man as he came to stand in front of her. "It is something I must do." She confirmed in a reluctant whisper. "So why is it so hard for me to come to terms with?"

"Because you were not created to be evil, Laura." Leoben answered gently, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. "And you must realize that no matter what you choose, you will never _be_ evil. You will be a fair and impartial judge. You must see _both_ sides………and then deem who is more worthy."

"This is what you were created for." Elosha smiled sadly. "Accept it." .

"No matter what you choose, one half of your family will be defeated." Leoben added, taking a familiar syringe from his pocket and uncapping it.

"And if they truly love you as they say they do, the defeated side will understand that you meant no harm, you were just fulfilling your part." Elosha pushed back the sleeve of Laura's nightgown and held her arm. "This is the lesson we are trying to teach you, Laura."

Laura winced as the needle went in her skin and she closed her eyes. "I understand the lesson."

* * *

Laura awoke in a cold sweat, same as she had awoken every night for the last week. She raised a shaking hand to her chest, attempting to calm her heartbeat and breathing from their insanely rapid pace. She heard the sound of voices coming from her parent's bedroom and looked at the clock: **23:45.**

She gingerly got out of bed, walking past the table, on top of which laid the familiar syringe that Hotdog had left behind. She went to the door, and pressed her ear against it.

"Will you stop?" Kara admonished as she sat on the bed and took off her shoes. "You barely say four words on the shuttle ride home and then when we get here and you _start_ talking? I find myself wishing that you'd shut the hell up again."

"I can't……." Lee began as he unbuttoned his uniform jacket. "I'm extremely agitated, Kara."

"I noticed." She said simply as she stood up and turned her back to him. "Unzip me. My arm can't reach it."

He obediently pulled down the zipper. "Did you hear what he said to me?"

Kara turned back around to face him with an incredulous look on her face. "The man spoke two sentences to you the whole evening."

"And both sentences were about Laura!" Lee shouted.

"Will you stop yelling?" She whispered harshly as she let the dress fall to the floor. "Hotdog said Laura fell asleep quickly and slept well after that, and I won't have you waking her up just because you're acting like an insulted little boy. Not after all the trouble she's had sleeping lately."

"He was asking me about her!" Lee hissed, taking off his jacket and throwing it across the room.

"He wanted to know how she was! He's a part of her life whether you like it or not, Lee." Kara explained, taking off her earrings and placing them on the dresser. "And he was just trying to make conversation. He doesn't know you as anything other than Laura's father, it's not like you ever set foot in that chapel."

"Please don't make this about my religious beliefs."

"Or lack thereof." Kara amended.

"I'm just saying……….what was he even doing there tonight?" Lee continued. "Billy's an atheist."

"Not anymore." She corrected. "And just because someone doesn't believe in the gods, that doesn't necessarily mean that they think all priests are conniving and duplicitous. It's important that the President not shun members of the clergy."

"I don't want Laura anywhere near Father Monseau anymore." Lee told her firmly, yanking off his tanks. "I don't want her to go to the services anymore."

"I'll take her to any damn service I want!" Kara shot back.

"You just—."

"You're being unreasonable, you need to relax." She purred, walking to him and placing her hands on his chest. "Let me help you with that, _Major_."

He ignored her as he shook his head. "I just get a bad feeling whenever Monseau is around."

"I was really proud of you tonight, Lee. You've more than earned that promotion. Do they have a Major's privilege?" She added, attempting to distract him by unbuckling his pants. "If so, I know a junior officer who'd be more than happy to help you exercise it."

"All his religious talk is just going to confuse her." Lee whispered, mostly to himself. "I don't want him filling Laura's head with it."

Kara sighed and looked at the clock. "It's 23:48. Are you bound and determined to end _every_ Colonial Day without getting laid?" She sneered as she pulled away from him. "Because you keep this up, and I'm never gonna frak you again."

"I'm being serious!" Lee shouted.

"No, you're being _paranoid_!" She hissed back, pulling down the covers and getting into bed. "Stop it! Laura will do what she wants to do. And you freaking out about it……..or being afraid of it, that's not going to do anything but drive her further away."

Laura stepped back from the door as if she'd been electrocuted, the fear and shock she felt at hearing that statement pumping through her veins like fire. But her curiosity got the better of her, and she put her ear back.

"Kara?" Lee said, getting into bed beside her. "I let the thing with Baltar go, but Laura is being pulled in fifty-thousand different directions—."

"And she'll go in the direction that's right for her." Kara interjected as she turned off the bedside lamp. "Regardless of what we do."

"But Father Monseau thinks she's special, he thinks she has a destiny." Lee finished, molding himself against the curves of her body.

"She _is_ special, Lee." Kara reminded him as she danced her fingers up and down his skin. "Everybody sees that, even Father Monseau, _even you_." She kissed his bare chest. "And he's a priest; he's been taught that everybody has a destiny."

Lee pushed back the hair from her face and sighed. "But what if he's wrong? What if her destiny is _not_ to do something noble and righteous and pure _to serve humanity_?"

On the other side of the door, Laura's face crumpled in shame and hurt, and she moved away and went back to her bed without hearing the conversation end. She curled up around herself and didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

But if she had stayed by the door for ten seconds more she would have heard something much better………………………….

Kara pulled back from Lee with shock and insult etched on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean………." Lee began, moving his hand down from her hair to trace her collarbone. "What if her only destiny is to be our daughter? To love us and _be loved by us_? I know it's a simple destiny, but it's already been fulfilled. And it's noble and righteous and pure enough for me—."

"And me." Kara added, smiling gently at him.

"So why is that not good enough for some people?"

"I don't care about other people." Kara confirmed, rolling on top of him. "The only people that matter know that love is our daughter's only purpose, Lee."

* * *

"Major Adama seemed reluctant to even speak to me." Father Monseau said as he sat at a table with two other people, dressed in formal wear in the middle of the Cloud Nine ballroom after everyone else had gone home. 

"He's never been very religious." Billy confirmed from the chair on the opposite side. "He prefers to put his faith in people."

"That is what we're doing." The priest said. "This whole thing is about people."

"But you're asking us to put our faith in something else, something besides the people that we know." Dualla spoke up next Billy. "What if something goes wrong? What if she gets hurt, or scared?" She paused and Billy took her hand in his as she covered her eyes with the other hand. "I know she's more than just a teenager………but she's still so young--so innocent and good. And I'm worried she might fumble down this path that we've set before her."

"It's useless to worry if you have faith, and it's useless to have faith if you worry." Father Monseau assured her. "If your faith is beginning to wane, Anastasia—."

"Don't lecture me about faith!" She responded harshly, tapping her finger against the table. "I'm going to play my part. I could give you a list of things that I've done—things that I'm _going to do_—purely because I have faith.What I'm talking about is concern…………. and _love_." Her voice dropped to a pleading whisper. "Can you give me any guarantees?"

"No." Monseau replied simply. "But if we are truly worthy of this gift that the child will give us, a good way to prove it would be to take this chance _without_ any guarantees."

* * *

Gaius Baltar looked up from his desk when he heard the knock on the door. "Come in." 

It opened and Laura meekly entered the lab. "Hello, Doc."

"Unscheduled visit." Six confirmed from beside him. "This could be very interesting, Gaius."

Baltar looked at the papers in front of him and then at Laura. "Were we supposed to meet today?"

"No." Laura confirmed. "I told Corporal Wilkes that I had an overdue assignment that I needed to turn in."

Baltar smiled genuinely. "You've never been overdue on an assignment in your life, Laura."

She gave a slight smile in return, but the hesitant nature of her stance did not falter. "I came to ask you if we could skip the astrophysics lesson tomorrow." She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I'd actually like to learn about something else."

"Anything in particular?" He questioned hopefully.

"I want you to teach me about the Cylon networking and downloading process." She told him quietly. "I need to know how we are connected, how we are activated."

"_We_?" Six repeated, wrapping her arms around him and smiling adoringly. "It is beginning, Gaius. Just let it run its course."

Baltar nodded somberly. "I'd be happy to teach you anything you want to know."

* * *

"Did he say what this was about?" Laura asked nervously as she walked down the corridor. 

"Nope." Corporal Venner replied from beside her. "He just told me to bring you to him."

"I'm supposed to have a lesson with Dr. Baltar right now."

"Well, the Admiral outranks the Good Doctor," Venner laughed. "So I'm gonna do what I'm told."

They came to the end of the corridor and saw the Admiral waiting for them. He nodded. "Corporal Venner, thank you for bringing her here so quickly."

"Of course, sir." Venner replied.

"You can leave." Adama told him with a stone face. "I'll take it from here."

Laura and Venner both looked at each other nervously, and Laura's face was distorted in anxiety as she looked back to her grandfather. "I didn't do anything." She almost cried. "Grandpa, I swear I didn't."

"Hey." Venner told her soothingly, touching her shoulder. "It's alright."

The Admiral stepped forward and took Laura's face in his hands, his expression apologetic. "I'm sorry for scaring you, little Laura. We wanted it to be a surprise……….but you're not in trouble."

"I'm not?" She whispered.

"No.You're a good girl, Laura." He then gestured to the hatch behind him. "Come inside with me."

Laura looked at the same door, the one that read **CIC**. "I'm not allowed." She told him softly.

"I'm the Admiral." He smiled at her, holding out his arm for her to take. "I'm making an exception this time."

He opened the hatch and they stepped through it into the hub of the ship, a place she had heard about a million times, but never laid eyes on. It made her heart leap to finally see the place that controlled the safety and well-being of everyone she loved.

Dee caught her eye from over at the com station and smiled affectionately, Gaeta looked over and waved, and Colonel Tigh even managed to convey that he was pleased with her presence.

She walked over with the Admiral to the tactical table in the center of the room, and she took aspot beside Tyrol as her grandfather took his traditional place in front of the visual screens across from them.

"Hey, little girl." Tyrol nudged her.

"Hey, Chief." She smiled back, noticing the com set around his ear. "What's going on?"

"You'll see." He told her before looking over at the Admiral. "The ship's already been launched, sir."

Adama nodded and then looked back to Dee. "Tell them to begin maneuvers."

"Apollo/Galactica, you are cleared to begin flight test on Blackbird." Dee stated over the com.

"Wilco, Galactica." Lee's voice answered. "Beginning maneuvers."

"He's flying a Blackbird!" Laura almost shouted in excitement. "You built another one? That's what you guys have been doing in the flight deck?"

"Uh-huh." Tyrol happily confirmed.

"Well, if that's all you were doing, why did you ban me from the deck?"

"It's called a _surprise_." Tigh responded gruffly. "It doesn't really work if you know about it beforehand."

"Your mother's flying next to him in a Viper." Adama added.

"Apollo/Starbuck," Kara's voice crackled over the com. "You're starting to drift."

"Yeah." Lee replied to her. "Give me a second to adjust. It's been a while since I've flown one of these things."

"And even longer since you've _landed_ one." She cackled.

"Leave it to you to make a joke about that, Starbuck." He laughed back.

The Admiral picked up the handset beside him. "Knock off the chatter, pilots." He said with condemnation.

Laura could hear both of her parents gulp from all the way out in space. "Yes, sir." Kara replied, clearing her throat.

Adama's eyes sparkled as he crooked his finger to call Laura over to the other side of the table. She moved over and stood next to him. "Major Adama, Captain Thrace?" He said into the handset. "I have someone here who'd like to say something."

He handed Laura the phone and she took it, her face expressionless. "Hi, Mom and Dad."

There was silence for a while before she heard Kara laugh. "Laura, is that you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you in CIC?" Lee asked uncertainly.

Laura's face finally took on the expression of jubilation. "Uh-huh."

"Well, I'll be damned." Kara laughed again. "You were right, Lee. You always did say she could get your father to let her do whatever she wants."

"She's a part of that ship, Kara." Lee laughed as well. "It's about time he let her poke around in the brain of it."

"Do a few more maneuvers and come on home." Adama ordered, smiling all the while. "Laura and I will meet you in the flight deck in an hour."

He hung up the phone and gestured for Laura to follow him as he walked away, but they were stopped by the clearing of a throat. "Um, Admiral?" Tigh began. "The other thing?"

Adama shook his head in disbelief. "Of course, I forgot."

"What other thing?" Laura asked with curiosity.

The Admiral looked at Tyrol and gave him confirmation to speak. "We named it _Laura_." Tyrol told her.

"Like the first one." Laura confirmed simply. "After the President."

"No." Adama assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We named this one after _you_."

Her eyes filled with happy tears. "After me?"

"Sure." Tyrol laughed, winking at her. "After all………we kinda like you."

"You free for lunch, Ms. Adama?" Adama asked, moving her to the exit.

"Well….." She thought for a moment, waving at Dee as she walked past her station. "I was supposed to have a lesson with Doctor Baltar." She smiled at her grandfather. "But it can wait."

* * *

"Just breathe, Mom." Laura whispered as she settled onto the table in the radiology lab. "It'll be over in 20 minutes." 

Kara came over and stood by the table, stroking Laura's hair. "This is actually kinda pathetic." She laughed. "You're the one getting the scan, but I'm the one that has to be comforted."

"Are you cold, Laura?" Nurse Coaker asked as she adjusted the settings on the machine.

"No, I'm okay." Laura responded, looking up at her from the table. "Did Mom give you my music chip?"

"We've already got it loaded into the speakers." Coaker assured her and then started to walk into the lab reading room. "We'll start in about two minutes."

Kara leaned down and kissed Laura's forehead. "I'll be right outside."

She attempted to let go of Laura's hand and walk away, but Laura held firm, pulling her back. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever—I'm not trying to get morbid on you, but have you ever………… wondered if your life would be better if I wasn't here?" Laura exhaled and looked around the room. "If I had _never _been here?"

"No." Kara responded bluntly, without hesitation.

"Just like that, you can answer just like that?" Laura asked in surprise. "You've never wondered?"

"Not for one second." Kara smiled down at her. "I may not always understand what's going on……….what the universe has in store for me, giving me the opportunity to be your mother; giving us the opportunity to be a family. But I've always known that there wasn't going to be a better one. And so has your father."

"Sometimes, I wonder." Laura admitted truthfully. "I mean, I'm not normal—."

"_Normal_, who wants to be normal?" Kara scoffed. "There's no way you could have been normal and belonged to this dysfunctional freakshow that is your family." She laughed, pointing to the ceiling—or more accurately, to the heavens. "See, this was all according to plan. You were put in this family so that everybody would look at you……….and then look at all of your relatives in comparison."

"And compared to all of you—." Laura grinned, finishing for her. "I'm really not all that strange."

"Such a quick learner." Kara smiled back adoringly; she then got quiet and lowered her head. "What brought this on, little Laura?"

"I don't know." Laura shook her head. "It's just—now that Dad knows about my lessons with Doctor Baltar, and now that he's okay with them………..I feel kinda weird. It's strange not having to hide anymore, now I feel like its okay for me to be what I am: Human _and_ Cylon."

"Except you aren't." Kara replied simply.

"Aren't what?" Laura asked. "Human or Cylon?"

"Both……..neither." Kara shrugged. "You aren't human and you aren't Cylon."

"Then what am I?"

Kara gave her daughter a funny look. "You're Laura." She smirked. "They broke the mold when you were born……..and you get to be something new, something that no one's ever seen before. You get to be anything you want to be."

"Yeah." Laura smiled wistfully. "I'm starting to realize that."

"I've never wondered if my life would have been better if you'd never been in it." Kara kissed her forehead. "Because the moment Nurse Coaker put you in my arms, I knew that was where both of us belonged. And I pray every day that I'm worthy of being your mother."

"Captain Thrace?" Nurse Coaker's voice spoke over the intercom. "You'll have to go now. We're ready to start the scan."

This time, Laura let go of Kara's hand and Kara moved to the door. She turned back with her hand on the knob and grinned. "I'll be here waiting for you. I won't leave you."

When Kara had left the room, and the table moved backwards to place Laura into the scanning machine, she smiled and let out a contented breath. "I know you won't."

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

"What happened?" Lee almost shouted as he ran into sickbay, frantically breathing and still in his flightsuit. "Is she okay?"

Kara saw him come in and her heart leapt that he was finally there with her. "Yeah, she's okay." She stood up from her chair outside the curtained area that Laura was in and walked over to him, burying her face in his neck, her fingers feeling the sweat-dampened tips of his hair. "She's asleep now."

"I'm sorry it took so long to get here." He exhaled loudly as he wrapped his arms around her. "CAP was on the other side of the fleet, two Raiders popped up out of nowhere, and we couldn't come in until they'd been taken care of."

"It's okay." Kara sighed. "At least she was in sickbay when it happened."

"It was a seizure?"

"Yeah, a bad one." Kara finally pulled back from him. "She was in the machine, getting her weekly scan when it happened." She let out an unsteady breath. "She didn't stop shaking for close to ten minutes, but it was different than any other seizure she's ever had, nothing was working, she kept shaking and shaking and they kept giving her shot, after shot, after shot—."

"Kara." He stopped her nervous rambling by touching her cheek. "Just breathe."

She took a deep breath and looked to the ground. "She'll be asleep for hours and hours, because they had to give her so much medicine."

"But they finally gave her enough?"

"That's what Cottle says." She whispered, looking back up at him with uncertain eyes. "But I'm not so sure."

"Why?" He asked with fear dripping in his voice. "What do you think it was?"

"I tried to stay back, and just let the nurses and medics work on her. But you know how I can't seem to stay out of the way." She snorted deprecatingly. "Anyway, her hand kept jerking up, and so I came over to the table and I took her hand in mine. And when I did………..she finally stopped shaking."

He shook his head. "Kara, I don't know. I mean, no one knows more than me that you're the type of person that can stop almost anything with sheer force of will." He chuckled, rubbing her shoulder. "But it was probably just the medicine kicking in."

She chuckled back and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I probably am just giving myself too much credit."

"So, did they finish the scan?"

"No, she was only halfway through it." Kara answered. "But because she started shaking _while_ she was in the machine, they were able to record something." She opened her eyes again. "Something _interesting_."

Lee's stomach turned over in fear and his entire body tensed up. "Something got activated?"

"No." She whispered. "Something _shut down_. Something's shutting down in her brain."

"Shutting down?" He almost screamed, his grip tightening on her shoulder. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that before? If she's gonna have brain damage—."

"But that's the thing, Lee." She attempted to soothe him, attempted to bring him over to her way of thinking. "Cottle told me the section of the brain that's shutting down is an _un-used_ section, or it's un-used by _humans _anyway. Cottle says that there should be no side effects we would be able to see. He can't think of anything that could be caused by this that would change Laura as we know her."

"Kara, are you telling me—?"

"We always feared that the Cylons had some sort of connection to her. Well, what if they _did_?" She paused and bit her lip as hope started to rise in her chest. "But what if they _won't anymore_?"

* * *

Lee walked into the pilot's briefing already in progress and noticed that while the room was packed with people, it was totally silent. Not only devoid of talk, but devoid of any noise whatsoever. No sound of footfalls echoing on the floor, no rustling of papers, and no whispers of fabric as it brushed against the chairs. He could see the other pilot's lips move, but no sound came out. No exhales, no shouts, no laughter. 

Lee walked in a detached trance to the front of the room. There was a grayish tint to everything, and he saw that everyone else was moving about, completely ignoring his presence.

He came to his podium and when he turned around, he looked up into the chairs. There was an out of place, but familiar pilot looking back at him from the fourth seat in the third row. Everything narrowed to just her as she spoke.

"You don't seem all that surprised to see me." Sharon declared, dressed in a flight suit.

"I'm not." Lee replied frankly. "I know that I should be, seeing as how you're dead and all."

"Yes." Sharon nodded. "The rules of life and death can be bent if the message needing to be conveyed is important enough."

"So convey away." Lee told her, his face remaining cold.

"You know, you were wrong." Sharon informed him. "The afterlife did take me. I see Helo everyday. President Roslin too." She smiled slightly. "She's actually a very lovely woman when she's not ordering someone to toss me out an airlock."

Lee stayed still. "Why did you come here, Sharon?"

"You've never liked me, have you?" She closed her eyes. "That's fine. I came to terms with that a long time ago. Because after all, this isn't about me."

"It's about her." Lee stated.

"And you." Sharon corrected. "And Starbuck." She opened her eyes again. "I need you to know, this was always the plan. You were always supposed to become Laura's parents; such was God's will. And even though he didn't reveal it to me at the time, I was just playing my part. And none of us thought that anything could thwart the outcome." She took a deep breath and smiled. "But I threw a kink in the plan, because the day you and Starbuck came to tell me that Helo had died, I saw something in the two of you that was stronger than God. And I doubt God would've chosen you if he had realized _how _strong."

Lee involuntarily leaned forward. "Strong enough to defeat him?" He questioned softly.

"That's up to you." She shrugged. "I fulfilled my part, as was prophesized. But I did it for the wrong reasons. I did it for _my _reasons, instead of God's."

"What were your reasons?" He again questioned softly.

"God prophesized that you would love her and take her as your own. But he also said that eventually you would reject her, and your unrighteousness would drive her to the Cylons." She looked at Lee in wonder. "But that day in my cell………I had a revelation. And I knew that God had prophesized wrong, because I saw no unrighteousness. I knew that if you and Kara chose to share your love with my child, you would never turn away from her. So that's why I allowed it to happen. To give you all a fighting chance. Those were my reasons." She nodded resolutely. "Laura will give you a gift, but _you_ were my gift to Laura. And you can change the story, Apollo."

"Tell me how the story ends, Sharon." He pleaded quietly, watching as his fellow pilots rapidly moved and blurred across his line of sight.

"I can't." She replied. "I can only tell you how the struggle ends." A light in her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward in her chair. "It won't end with a computer virus or a nuclear bomb. It will end with a kiss on the forehead."

A white light flashed and Lee heard a distant, small voice call out to him. "Dad? Dad?"

Lee's eyes came open slowly as he felt a hand brush through his hair. He lifted his head from the sickbay bed and sat back in his chair that was beside where his daughter was lying, looking at him intently. "I'm up from my nap now."

"Hey, sweetheart." He rasped, his voice still gravelly with sleep. He gripped her hand that had been resting in his a little tighter.

"Where's Mom?" She croaked out, her mouth and throat dry.

"She went to go get a cup of coffee." He answered, smoothing her hair back and bringing a glass of water to her lips. "We didn't know you'd be awake so soon."

She took the straw in her mouth and sipped. "I had to wake up." She smiled weakly, letting the straw go. "I missed you guys too much."

He grinned and then placed a small kiss on her forehead.

* * *

"Why are you just sitting here?" Six hissed to Baltar as he sat at his desk. 

He didn't even look up from his computer. "This is my lab, where else would I be?"

She moved around to where she was standing beside his chair. "You don't seem to be concerned that our daughter is not with us."

"Laura is not with us because she just had a severe seizure and she is recuperating in sickbay with her—."

"With her PARENTS?" Six seethed. "How can you allow that, Gaius?"

He finally looked up at her, the confusion etched on his face. "Well, what am I supposed to do?"

"Go get her." Six pointed to the door. "Make her come to us."

Baltar rose from his chair. "She's not ready. Even I can see that, so surely _you_ must see that."

"It is up to _God_ to decide when she is ready!" She screamed, walking away from him and pacing the small area around his desk. "Not us. And not her."

"You are just reversing everything that you've ever told me in regards to our child." He pointed out.

"That was then." She faced him, her expression desperate. "This is _now_. Things have changed."

He looked back at her uncertainly. "So……….it's _time_ for her to join the Cylons?"

"It's going to have to be." Six replied fearfully.

He walked to her and cupped her face. "What is going on, darling?"

"It's starting to happen, Gaius." Her voice trembled as she spoke. "That which we have always feared………..but never voiced because it would have been blasphemy, because it goes against God's plan."

"_What's_ happening?" He whispered.

Her lip quivered and her eyes brimmed with tears. "She is starting to _fade_ from us."

"That makes no sense. Unless the Cylons broke the dormant link, then how could she—?"

"Stop thinking like a scientist and think like a father!" She sneered. "This isn't about her synaptic relays, this is about _free will_. And God has given it to all of us, including her." She began to scream. "But she has a more important destiny. God has chosen her, Gaius. He has _chosen_ her!"

Baltar stepped back from her, panicking at her agitation. "I know he has."

"And by exercising the free will that he gave to her, she has been corrupted from his _divine_ will." Six held her head in her hands.

"And she is turning away from you." He stated in a hesitant whisper.

"US, Gaius! Our child is turning away from _us_." She seethed through clenched teeth. She then got a determined glint in her eyes and bridged the small distance between them, stroking her hand against his chest as her voice softened. "All children at one time turn away from their families. But sometimes, you can get them back; if the parents fight hard enough to show them the way out of the dark and back into the light."

"And how would we do that?" He asked, closing his eyes.

"By showing her unwavering love, tempered by discipline…………..and _control_." She smiled forebodingly. "It may take some unscrupulous measures, but we will force her to see that we know what's best for her."

"You're afraid." He whispered, opening his eyes again to glimpse at the fear in hers. He shook his head gently. "And I don't think this is the—."

"She's not gone from us yet, darling." Six pleaded, gently kissing his bottom lip. "Fight for her."

* * *

"And is she having any headaches?" Baltar asked as he looked down at Laura's chart. 

"No." Nurse Coaker replied. "But she is having _some_ side effects."

"A seizure of that size, she's bound to have something." Baltar added, feigning innocence and offhandedness. "What exactly are the side effects she's experiencing?"

"She's bouncing off the walls." Coaker chuckled. "But she also seems out of sorts, kind of like her mind is racing and she can't shut it off."

"Well, we can't allow that to go on for much longer." Baltar nodded. "Too much of that can be very unhealthy. Has she been sleeping?"

Coaker shook her head. "No."

"Hmm, that's disconcerting. That was the worst seizure she's ever had, she'll need her rest if she's going to recuperate." Baltar closed the file. "Perhaps we should give her a push in that direction."

Coaker took the file and placed it back on Doc Cottle's desk. "Doctor Cottle said something like that, he even left a standing order for a sedative in her chart." She sighed heavily. "But I've been reluctant……….I don't really like to drug people unless it's absolutely necessary."

"She's been in sickbay for going on fifty-six hours now." Baltar smiled condescendingly. "Think of it this way; the sooner she sleeps, the sooner she can go home."

Coaker nodded and started to walk away. "I'll prepare the Yestradin for her."

"Actually." Baltar interrupted, stopping her movements. "She'd probably do better with Mynolin. It not only induces sleep, but it's also quite effective in quelling some of the restlessness and racing thoughts that you say she seems to be having."

"Okay," Coaker nodded again. "Doc Cottle said to do whatever you suggested, so I'll get that ready."

"Have you ever dealt with that medication before?" He asked non-chalantly, placing the seed of doubt.

"A few times." She replied, slightly taken aback.

"The only reason I ask is that Mynolin is a tricky drug, if you're off by even the slightest microgram; it either doesn't work at all, or she's unconscious for two days." He chuckled and raised his eyebrows. "And each dose has to be prepared according to the patient. Now, with Laura's rapid growth, her body is constantly changing. Sometimes faster than medical personnel can keep up with."

"Yes, keeping the dosage adjusted has been a difficulty." Coaker shook her head and exhaled. "Not only with the drugs we keep in sickbay, but with the syringes that her family keeps."

"I'm starting to think that's why it took so long for her medication to take effect during this last episode." He paused, letting it all sink in. "Not only was it the worst one she's ever had, but I don't think the dosage had been adequately adjusted to her new size."

"I see." The nurse whispered to herself.

"_I'd_ like to prepare the dosage. With this drug, especially in Laura's case, it's very complex mathematics." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's not that I don't believe in your skills as a nurse, it's just that I prefer to do things myself." He chuckled with self-deprecation. "Why do you think I've never had a lab assistant?"

"If you feel that's best." Coaker replied.

"I do." He assured, finishing off his plan to make her insecure. He looked square in her eyes. "And we want what's best for her, don't we?"

Coaker stood up a little straighter and smiled. "Of course we do."

* * *

"Hello, Laura." Baltar grinned as he pulled back the curtain. "How are you feeling today?" 

"Alright." She smiled back as he came to stand beside her bed. "Just kinda—I don't know, _different_, I guess." She let out a loud breath and nervously adjusted the blanket over her lower half. "I feel like something's happened to me, like I've changed somehow. Everything seems brighter, more real; like I'm seeing things in a whole new way." She laughed lightly. "I just want to touch everything, experience everything. And I can't seem to calm down."

"You're probably just bored." He chuckled, checking her IV bag. "Sitting in this bed for two days can't be very intellectually stimulating."

"I'll say. Doc Cottle won't even let me get out of bed to watch any of the procedures he does on the other patients." She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Some nonsense about doctor/patient confidentiality."

"Well, I have good news." He told her. "Cottle and I have agreed that as soon as you get some sleep, you can go home."

She shook her head and smirked. "I don't think I can."

He presented a syringe. "We've spoken to your parents, and both Doctor Cottle and I agreed that if you want, we can give you a mild sedative."

"If it'll help me get out of here faster.…….then sure." She agreed. "What is it you're giving me?"

"Just a slight dose of Yestradin." He lied to her as he injected the syringe into her IV. "We've given that to you before. It'll just take the edge off, make it easier for you to sleep." He finished pushing the unfamiliar medication into her IV. "Then you'll nod off for a few hours and when you wake up—you can go home."

"Thanks." She said, touching the IV site in her hand. "It's burning. It never burned going in before."

"Perhaps your IV site has become infiltrated." He shrugged, covering his tracks. "I'll have one of the nurses check it once you've gone to sleep."

"So, how long till it knocks me out?" She winked at him.

"It's not enough to knock you out." He laughed, tossing the syringe in the waste basket. "So, it'll take about fifteen minutes for you to _go to sleep_."

"Okay."

"While we wait, would you like a lesson?" He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "I was sitting in my lab today, and I realized that we've missed our last two classes. I thought you might be thirsting for knowledge."

"You don't happen to have an electron microscope with you, do you?" She rubbed her hands together. "I'd like to continue our lesson on genetic splicing. I loved the idea of how—if you did it right—even the disorders that were inherently built into the body could be averted if you reattached that section of the DNA to an unaffected strand."

"Two different genes coming together to try and overcome that which is physically pre-ordained?" He nodded to himself. "Yes, I imagine you _would_ like that." He looked right at her and smiled dishonestly, patting his chest. "But I'm afraid an electron microscope won't fit in this jacket."

She laughed. "Yeah, I figured that would probably be pushing it."

"It's funny you should bring up genetic splicing, though." He told her. "Do you know that some people believe that it is wrong?"

"Why wrong?" She responded. "I mean, if it will help the person to not be what they shouldn't have to be—."

"But who says that they shouldn't have to be it? If it's who they are?" He interrupted. "Aren't the scientists just going against nature? Aren't they just telling these people that it's not okay to be what they are supposed to be?" He hesitated for a moment. "There are some who believe that nothing is done by accident, nothing is done without a plan. And trying to fight that plan will just bring forth a slew of evils that no one had anticipated." He smiled gently and laid a hand on her blanketed knee. "They may have been trying to help at first, but what does it really accomplish to go against one's true nature?"

Her eyes began to get wide. "But if the person is aware of the problem, and there is something that they can do to fix it, and they _want to fix it_, isn't that in one's true nature as well?"

Baltar smiled. "That's a very good point. And it's brings us to our lesson." He reached into his jacket. "No microscope today, but a book fits nicely into these pockets." He pulled it out and presented it to her.

She took it from him and read the cover. "The Tragedy of Oedipus Rex."

"Given what we were just discussing, it's quite a coincidence that this was the book I chose from your grandfather's collection."

"This is Grandpa's?" She smiled, tracing the octagonal edges.

"Yes." He informed her, laughing slightly. "He told me I could borrow anything from his library if it meant that you weren't bouncing off the walls in here."

"What's it about?"

"It's about people trying to change the way of the world, trying to change an outcome that has already been written." He touched the book reverently as it rested in her hands. "It's about trying to fight destiny."

"It's a pretty big book to just be about that." Laura grinned.

"Well, that's just a general overview." Baltar grinned back. "More specifically, it's about a man named Oedipus, whose life was planned out before he was even born." He paused for a moment when he saw her blink her eyes to adjust to her new drugged state. "You alright, Laura?"

"Yeah, but it might be taking effect faster than you thought." She smiled, shaking off the feeling. "Please continue."

"A prophecy was foretold about him, and it wasn't a particularly pleasant one. Very many people didn't want the prophecy to play out, so they made plans to kill him right after he was born." Baltar took a deep breath. "But somehow, when the time came, they couldn't go through with it. They gave him to another to raise, and everyone thought they had outwitted the fates, escaped pre-ordination.Oedipus became another person, immersed himself in that life; never knowing, or caring to know, that he was supposed to be someone else. He was set on a different path than the one he belonged on, and great lengths were taken to ensure that he would never fulfill his destiny. But he ended up fulfilling it anyway."

She lifted her hand to touch her forehead, but the heavy weight of it made her quickly drop it back down to the bed. "What was his destiny?" She whispered.

"He was destined to destroy his family."

Her eyes glazed over. "And he did?" She asked in horrified awe.

"And then some." Baltar nodded. "Many more suffered than was prophesized, including Oedipus himself. Innocent people languished in pain, whole kingdoms fell to ruin."

"This is an analogy, isn't it?" She asked, her voice slurring. "Something that points out the similarities between two situations: Oedipus's and mine."

"You're close." He confirmed. "But I was actually going for another 'A' word. _Allegory_: a story that is told to convey a deeper truth."

She closed her eyes and let her head fall back to the pillow behind her. "And what is the deeper truth?"

"That you _cannot_ fight destiny." He informed her. "The story will unfold the way it was written at the beginning. And trying to change the middle will do nothing more than cause the foretold end to come in a more catastrophic way." He saw that she was wavering in and out of lucidity, so he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out another syringe. "Many believed at the end of Oedipus's story that not as many people would have met such a tragic fate if the prophecy had been allowed to unfold the way it was supposed to." He flicked the syringe and stood up, pulling back the sleeve of her sickbay nightgown. "Fighting destiny, fighting divine providence, will inevitably cause more harm than if you had just accepted your path………and found peace in it along the way."

She winced when she felt the needle pierce the skin of her arm, but she made no movement. "I don't want anyone to die because of me."

"Trust me when I tell you there are far worse things than death in this world." He told her when he finished administering the drug. "Listen to your heart, embrace that which you know to be the right decision."

"I don't want to harm anyone." She whispered in fear, her sleepy face twitching.

"Of course you don't. No one wants to see anyone suffer………any more than they need to." He creepily leaned down and kissed her forehead. "But, Laura? Whatever your path is, how can it be evil? If you are just being what you are supposed to be?"

With effort, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "I'm very tired, Doctor. I think I'd like to sleep now."

He put the used syringe back into his pocket. "Of course." He nodded, motioning to the book where it laid in her limp hand. "Would you like to keep the book?"

"No, that won't be necessary." She said softly, resignedly. "I know the deeper truth that you are trying to convey. _I've always known_." She looked up at him numbly as he took the book and put it back in his pocket. "I understand the lesson, Doctor."

"She understands the lesson, Gaius." Six said reverently as she came to stand beside him. When she saw that Laura had finally fallen into a heavy, drugged sleep, Six took his hand in hers. "She is utterly amazing." She turned to face him, her eyes shining. "You should be so proud."

* * *

"It's who you are and you're never gonna change, so why don't you just accept it?" 

Lee laughed loudly, looking around the table at the two women. "Do you have to insult me at my own dinner table in front of my daughter?"

"She's my daughter too." Kara laughed in return, dropping her fork down. "And do you think she doesn't already know that about you?" She leaned over and touched his arm. "Besides, I love that about you now, so it wasn't an insult."

He took a bite of food. "So, you're saying that you love me _in spite of_ the fact that I'm a repressed, tight-assed bastard!"

She nodded, grinning widely. "Yes."

"How am I not supposed to take that as an insult?" He grinned back.

She bit her lip. "I said it in a sweet voice."

_It's who you are and you're never gonna change, so why don't you just accept it?_

"Are we done?" Laura asked softly, looking up from her plate.

The gentle, back and forth teasing between Lee and Kara was broken by the words.

"We can be done……..if you want." Lee nodded, his eyes examining Laura with concern.

"You barely touched your food." Kara pointed to Laura's untouched dinner.

"Not hungry."

"And you barely spoke all night." Kara continued, sighing slightly.

"Just tired, I guess."

Kara rose from her chair and went over to Laura, placing her palm on Laura's forehead. "Do you feel okay?"

Laura shooed her hand away. "Mom, I'm fine."

"If you still don't feel well, we can take you back to sickbay." Kara said, her hand now stroking Laura's hair.

"Kara, leave her be." Lee warned, smiling at Laura. "She just needs some space. If something were wrong, she'd tell us. Wouldn't you, sweetheart?"

_What if her destiny is not to do something noble and righteous and pure to serve humanity?_

"Sure I would." Laura smiled back weakly. She then got up from her chair. "I still feel unclean from being in sickbay, I'm gonna take a shower and then go to bed."

"It's only 2100." Kara told her.

"We'll clear out and go to our room." Lee interjected, getting up from his chair and gathering up the plates. "We'll give you the opportunity to catch up on your sleep."

Laura pointed at the table. "I'll clean up out here when I get out of the shower." She replied. She then started toward the bathroom.

"It's okay, sweetheart. We'll—." Lee was cut off by the shutting of the bathroom door. "—clean up."

Kara took the plates from Lee's hand and took them to the sink. "Does she seem odd to you?"

"A little bit, yeah." Lee admitted, coming to stand beside her. "But she hasn't been sleeping, and that was the worst seizure she's ever had, and she just got released from sickbay three hours ago."

"And she didn't ask to _go anywhere_." Kara pointed out as she poured soap on the dishes. "She usually wants to go to the flight deck or the rec room when she gets released from sickbay." She turned on the water and rinsed the plates. "She was in there for close to three days. I thought for sure she'd want to go _somewhere_, but all she wanted was to come home."

Lee took the washed dishes and began drying them with a towel. "The fact that she was in sickbay for three days shows that this was not just any other seizure."

Kara stopped what she was doing and let out a loud sigh."What if the thing that they saw on the scan………….what if the thing that shut down, was something that will hurt her?"

Lee pulled her to him and touched her face. "When did we switch places, huh?" He laughed softly, kissing her lips. "When did you start worrying about everything, and I start taking stuff on faith?"

Kara chuckled ruefully. "You're right. I should just give her time to recuperate."

"You heard what Cottle and Baltar said." Lee added. "They said that the activity she used to have in that portion of the brain could never be explained. They said that it didn't _do_ anything."

"But she's half-Cylon, Lee." Kara whispered, her voice pleading. "We don't know everything about her brain, we hardly know _anything_ about her brain—."

"We know enough." He interrupted by leaning in to kiss her neck. "This is a good thing that happened. She's just been sick, but when she gets over it, she'll be fine." He pulled back and smiled. "You'll see."

* * *

Kara's eyes came open when she heard the noise. Her head was lying on Lee's chest and she looked across it to the clock on his bedside table: **00:13**. 

She rubbed her eyes and then heard the noise again. She prodded Lee awake. "Lee?"

He groaned sleepily. "What, Kara?"

"Did you hear that?"

"No." He groaned again. "I was asleep."

A loud bang came from outside the door. "Did you hear _that_?"

"Yeah." He shot up in bed and looked to the door, a sliver of light poking through the bottom. "The light is on."

They both jumped out of bed and came out into the living area to find Laura frantically wiping off the table.

Lee and Kara carefully walked over to her. "You should be in bed." Lee said softly. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning up." Laura answered simply, scrubbing the tabletop furiously.

"We already cleaned up." Kara informed her, fear quivering in her voice.

Laura moved away from the table and went to the counter near the sink, cleaning there as well. "It wasn't enough, it has to be _totally_ clean." She looked up at Kara and Lee with glassy, vacant eyes. "When the twelve brothers and sisters come, everything has to be clean."

"Laura?" Lee walked to her, his hands held up in a soothing gesture, belying the terror that he felt. "What are you doing?"

"I told you." She said in a trance. "When the twelve brothers and sisters come to find the thirteenth sibling, everything has to be clean."

"Corporal!" Kara shouted in worry through the door, tears forming in her eyes.

The guard was inside in less than three seconds, but they all stayed away from Laura as she cleaned maniacally while continuing to speak. "The thirteenth sibling that turned away from them will be found, and if everything isn't spotlessly clean? They'll know that she was a bastard child: unworthy and un-pure. And they will be disappointed." Her eyes had a fanatical, terrified sheen to them. "It's not good when they're disappointed."

Lee's face fell, his hope fell, his heart fell. "Little Laura?" He whispered. "You're sick, you need to come with me to sickbay."

"I don't have time!" She screamed at him. "I have to wipe down every surface, remove every fingerprint, erase every imprint!" Tears streamed down Laura's face. "So that I was never here. It will be better if I was _never here_. Because I was here, they will find the thirteen sibling. I've led them to the thirteenth sibling!"

Lee walked to her, but Corporal Wilkes spoke up. "You need to stay away, Major."

Lee ignored her and grabbed his daughter by the arms, stopping her hysterical ministrations. "Laura you need to listen to me." He rubbed a thumb over her cheek, feeling her tears.

"No! It's my fault, my fault, my fault." She cried, her eyes searching his. "I will cleanse, let me cleanse. So that they will never find you, so that they will never find the thirteenth sibling."

"Laura!" Lee screamed at her, taking her face in his hands. "You need to stop. This is your father. And I'm begging you, don't do this."

The tears continued to fall from her eyes and she looked at him for a moment like she recognized him. "Daddy?" But then her face crumpled and she let out an agonized sob, burying her head against his chest. "Please……..make it stop."

They both fell in a grief-stricken heap down to the floor and Laura continued to weep uncontrollably. Corporal Wilkes got on the phone and called for a medic, and when Lee looked up, he saw Kara kneeling on the floor less than five feet away, holding Laura's cat, sobbing just as fiercely as their daughter was.

Lee could do nothing but stroke Laura's hair and force himself to breathe as he watched his family disintegrate around him.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

A copy of Cylon model number Four looked down at the dead body of a number Ten, reached for the letter resting on the nightstand next to an empty bottle of pills, and read it thoughtfully.

_My affection for the child was not dishonest. But I knew what I was, so my life amongst you was a lie. For that I beg your forgiveness._

_Please believe that I never did anything to hurt her. My task was to watch over her, nothing else. But by standing aside and watching, I allowed her to be harmed. Seeing as how that was not what was promised to me by God, I have lost faith. And I now take leave of the task he gave me. This is the only way. _

_I take comfort in knowing that with the destruction of the Resurrection ship, my soul will not return to my fellow Cylons. And suicide is a mortal sin, so my soul will not return to God either. Perhaps I take comfort in that as well._

_I commit my soul to the universe, for it is now who I truly serve. I pray to whatever higher power exists, that the child will fulfill her righteous purpose. Whatever that may be. And I pray that her truefamily benefits. Whoever they may be. _

_So say we all._

Number Four sighed heavily, crumpled up the letter, and sat down at the nearby desk to begin writting.

* * *

Laura Roslin sat in the Caprica City River Market and looked up to the gorgeous blue sky as she dangled her bare feet in the water of the fountain. "Do you believe that the things you do in this life come back to haunt you in the afterlife?" 

"No." Billy replied, sitting beside her. "I believe that the things you do in this life, come back to haunt you in _this_ life."

Roslin giggled breathlessly, sadly. "Or come back to haunt the people you left behind." She turned to face him. "I never wanted to do anything to hurt her."

"I know you didn't." Billy told her softly. "And even though she was only a child when you died, she knows that too. She knew—we _all_ knew—that you loved her."

"I still do." Roslin looked down to her lap. "But we kept secrets, we were dishonest. Not with lies, but with omissions of truth." Her face seemed pleading as she looked back to him. "Do you think we can be forgiven for that?"

"Forgiveness is granted based on the context of the offense." Billy responded, looking up to the shapes of the clouds above him and willing his own heart to believe what he was saying. "Our reasons for hiding the truth were not treacherous."

"But the outcome has been." Roslin smiled dejectedly. She then reached over to lay her hand on top of his. "Perhaps it's time for the truth to be revealed."

"Mr. President?" The voice over the intercom called to him. "Mr. President?"

Billy lifted his head from his desk, rubbed his eyes and reached over to the intercom that buzzed him awake. "Yeah?"

"I have Galactica on the line for you, sir."

"Yeah." He responded gravelly, running a hand through his hair. "Put it through to the secure line."

When he picked up the phone, he heard Dee's voice on the other end. "Billy, are you okay? Your assistant said that you hadn't left your office all night."

"I'm fine." He replied, holding his pounding head in his hands. "What's going on over there? Is there any change?"

"No." Dee answered in a weak, trembling voice. "She's exactly the same as she's been for the last week. She barely moves except to thrash about, she doesn't speak unless it's to utter nonsense, and even then she speaks to empty spaces in the room. She doesn't seem to recognize any of us." Dee paused and he could hear her deep sigh. "Cottle and Baltar have been working with her, they've even asked for outside help. And every test that they can think of has been done, but she's just not the same Laura that she was before."

"I'm gonna come over to sickbay and see her again."

"Billy, why?" Dee questioned desperately. "What good will that do?"

Billy sat back in his chair, slightly insulted. "I want to see her."

"Just to torture yourself?" She shot back. "I was with you the last time you visited her, I saw what it did to you. How are you gonna be the leader of this fleet with that kind of guilt eating away at you?"

"How am I the leader of it _now_?" He shouted angrily into the handset. "You don't think it's eating me alive _now_?"

There was silence on the other end of the line, but finally when she spoke, it was gentle and sympathetic. "That is exactly why you shouldn't come."

He almost dropped the phone down to the desk as the weight of her heartbreaking remark came upon him. But he also knew that she was right. "They know that you speak for me, Dee." He whispered. "Just tell them that my thoughts and—."

"Your prayers?" She interjected.

"—are with them." He concluded the statement. But before he hung up, he spoke softly again. "Are you doing okay with this?"

"No." Dee whispered miserably in response. "I'm not."

* * *

Colonel Tigh gently pulled back the curtain and entered the area around Laura's bed. He noticed Kara sleeping, slumped in a chair next to the bed, so he came around to the other side. He reached out to place the item he was holding at the foot of the bed, and had just started to come near Laura's immobile body when…….. 

"Get the frak away from her!" Kara shouted frantically, jumping out of her chair.

"I'm sorry." Tigh stepped back instantly and held up his hands. "Corporal Townsend said it would be okay for me to come in."

Kara shook her head and adjusted her eyes, looking at him in surprise as she came to alertness. "Colonel Tigh?"

"Yes." He answered simply.

"I'm sorry, Colonel. I didn't realize it was you." She sighed and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. "I must've fallen asleep."

"You must've _needed_ to." He responded, his eyes full of concern as he examined her haggard appearance.

Kara looked around the room. "Did you need me to do something, sir?"

"Yeah, actually. I need you to stay right here with the Admiral's granddaughter." He sincerely explained. He then pointed to the item he had brought in. "I came by to bring her a blanket from our quarters; it's cashmere. It's a lot warmer and softer than the blankets they keep here in sickbay."

Kara reached down and unfolded the blanket, carefully placing it over Laura and then running a gentle hand down her face. "It was very nice of you to think of that, sir."

"_I_ didn't think of it." He added softly.

She looked up at him instantly, shocked when she realized what he was saying. But she cleared her throat and nodded in gratitude. "Well then, um………thank Mrs. Tigh for me."

He nodded back. "She's not as bad as everyone thinks." He looked down at Laura; she was lying on her side with her eyes wide open. But she was hunched over on herself, both of her hands tucked away under her chin, a gentle whimpering coming from the back of her throat. "Ellen was the one that taught Laura how to put on makeup."

Kara snorted in amusement, and he could tell that was the first genuine display of humor she'd had in a long time. "Well, thank her _less_ for that."

"How are things going?"

"Okay, I guess." Kara nodded to herself, pointing to certain objects in the room. "We brought some of her things in, so that she'd feel more comfortable. She's got her idols, some of her books, and the pictures of Helo and Boomer and her and President Roslin. We also play her music chip a lot, she seems to like that."

Tigh heard the music wafting through the room. "That's nice."

"We brought in her Aerilon Chiefs bear, but she starts to cry every time she sees it, so we keep it off to the side most of the time." Kara then paused and pointed to the ceiling, at a hanging piece of melded-together metal parts. "The Chief even went into storage and got out the mobile that he and Cally made of Viper and Raptor parts for her when she was born. She spends most of her time staring at the ceiling, so that was thoughtful of him."

"She has all the comforts of home." Tigh smiled sympathetically.

Kara covered her eyes in agony. "A lot of people have been in to see her; Dee and Billy, Chief and Cally, Ractrack, Kat, Hotdog, Gaeta. Her friend Shane was here yesterday, and Ethan and Charlotte from school came by to see her the day before that. But then she started yelling at them about '_little_ _children that don't grow up as fast as they should_.', so they got scared and had to leave." She chuckled ruefully and adjusted the blanket over Laura. "She looks like she's seventeen and they're still eleven. But they were still friends. All that time they knew her, she grew so fast; so fast that she was practically a different person every time they saw her. But they were never scared of her; they were never scared of her _until now_."

"They're just too young to understand what's going on." Tigh assured her.

"_I _don't understand what's going on!" She shouted at him. "It frakking terrifies me!"

"And yet……. you're still here." He pointed out calmly. "You and Apollo, one of you is always here with her."

"The Admiral's only been in once." Kara whispered, looking at Tigh desperately. "He stayed for fifteen minutes, but then I made him leave. I could see his heart shatter into a million pieces as he sat in that chair. He wanted to stay, but I knew it was killing him to see her like this. And Laura wouldn't want him to be here like that, so I made him leave."

"And instead he just sits _in his office_ with his heart shattered in a million pieces." Tigh retorted. "I'm not sure that's much better."

"Father Monseau came to see her, for the anointing of the sick. But when Lee saw that he was in here, he started screaming at him at the top of his lungs to '_get the hell out'_. He screamed so loud that he frightened everybody in sickbay. I sunk down to the chair and cried, the priest left, and Laura started sobbing hysterically. She tried to get out of bed and shouted that '_the oracle was going to take her somewhere'_. No one could calm her down after that, Baltar had to come in and give her a shot." She took a deep breath. "But they took off the restraints yesterday, because at least she's not trying to hurt herself anymore."

"I see." Tigh whispered sadly.

Kara loudly let out the breath that she had just taken and bit her lower lip. "So I guess the answer to your original question would be: things really aren't going too good."

Laura's whimpers got louder and clearer. "My fault, my fault, my fault. Don't belong with you, see things different. Don't belong."

"Little Laura, don't say that." Kara leaned down next to her face and kissed her cheek. "Colonel Tigh's here to see you. Do you wanna say hi to him?"

Laura looked up at him and he smiled at her, speaking in a soothing voice. "Hey, little girl."

Laura's only reply was to turn away again and curl into a fetal position. "My fault, my fault, my fault."

Kara sighed in dejection and moved back to sit in the chair, putting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. Tigh grabbed a chair from his side of the bed, and pulled it over, next to Kara. "I was planning on staying with her for a while. Maybe you could go get some sleep? Or a decent meal?"

Kara shook her head. "I don't think I can leave."

"Then we'll both stay." Tigh told her, finally taking the seat next to her. "And we'll just……….sit here."

* * *

"These need to be filed." Lee told Kat as they stood in his office and he handed her a whole stack of folders. He then showed her a paper on top of his desk. "And this is a list of pilots on the current rotation that need to be scheduled for CAP." 

"Sure thing, Major." Kat responded, she then looked at him cautiously. "Um, how's Laura?"

"She's okay." He answered quietly and somewhat dishonestly, not looking back up at her. "I think she's doing better than when you came to see her before."

"That's good." Kat said hopefully, putting the files down on his desk. "I'd like to come see her again, if that'd be okay."

"Yeah." He replied hesitantly. "But give me a while…….to figure out a good time for you to come."

"Sure." She smiled slightly, gesturing to the hatch. "Why don't you go? I've got it covered from here."

"Thanks for doing this, Kat." Lee smiled back half-heartedly. "Kara and I……..we're not trying to pawn off our jobs on anybody else. It's just—."

"You don't have to explain." She interrupted, sitting down at his desk and looking at the paper he had previously shown her. "You guys have pulled more than three times your weight since the world ended." She added sincerely. "We're all just trying to help you out any way we can."

"I'm gonna go." Lee started to walk away. "Kara's been in there for nearly twelve hours."

"Hey, CAG?" Kat stopped him before he reached the door. "This list of pilots? There's one on here that……….I don't know. There's just a callsign, no name."

Lee came back to the desk and took the paper she held out for him, looking over it carefully. "Where?"

"Third one down." Kat pointed at the word on the page. "_Jupiter_? I don't even recognize the callsign. Is that a transfer from Pegasus?"

"No." Lee replied softly, with confusion. "I don't recognize the name. It's nobody that I know of."

"But this is your handwriting, right?" She inquired.

Lee looked at the unfamiliar name that he had written on the page and nodded. "Yeah, it's mine. But I don't remember writing it." He handed the page back. "It's just gibberish. I'm sorry, I must've gotten distracted."

"Hey, we all have our 'space-cadet' moments." Kat laughed sympathetically. "But you have an excuse, so I think we'll let it go this time."

He shook his head to clear away the racing thoughts and nervously smiled back as he retreated from the room.

* * *

Lee made his way through the corridor, not really noticing that the direction he was taking to get to sickbay led him through the memorial corridor. 

"Major?"

Lee heard the voice call out to him and turned around to see Corporal Venner standing near the memorial wall, lighting a candle. He walked back to stand before him. "Corporal Venner, how are you?"

"Fine. I'm fine, sir. I just got off shift guarding Laura." He replied, looking at the wall. "I always try to come here before I go to sleep."

"I see." Lee said, looking to the wall as well. He did a double-take when he saw a familiar drawing posted next to all the photos and handmade cards; it was the one of the ocean that Laura had drawn and shown to him when she was little. "That's Laura's picture."

"Actually," Venner corrected. "Laura drew it for Duck when she found out that he'd grown up near the ocean on Virgon." Venner sighed heavily. "And when he died, she went with Captain Thrace to clean out his locker and found it taped up on the inside. So she took it and put it up on this wall as a way of remembering him."

"Yeah." Was Lee's only reply.

"Laura and I used to come here late at night." Venner said carefully. "On the nights that I'd guard the door, once you'd gone to sleep, we'd sneak out for a while."

"You used to sneak out to come here?" Lee seethed furiously.

"I'm sorry if that upsets you." Venner told him honestly. "I know that you've never been the most religious of people—."

"You don't have to be religious to feel grief over the people that died. I'm not cold and heartless, that's not what I'm upset about." Lee cut him off, the breath hissing through his teeth. "What I'm upset about is that you let my daughter out of our quarters in the middle of the night, when you were supposed to be protecting her!"

"I _was_ protecting her. I always did; without reservation." Venner countered simply. "But Laura is her own person, she did her own thing. She wanted to come here, and I was just trying to keep her safe."

"_Right_." Lee mumbled sarcastically, turning to walk away again.

Venner called after him softly. "I know things are hard right now, but you just have to have faith."

Lee turned back around quickly. "I don't want to have faith! _I want to have my child_!" He walked back up and stood right in Venner's face. "You know, I am so sick of people talking to me about the gods and having faith, that I really think I could vomit right now. That's not how I do things. I don't just hand over control and the well-being of the people I love to some sort of all-seeing—but never seen—higher power." Lee's hands were now gesturing wildly around him. "It's amazing to me that Kara and Laura and I were so amazingly happy for as long as we were. Kara and I are so different as parents, because I get concerned and agitated and nervous. I drive myself mad with worry, because that's how I love: MADLY. _That's_ how I do things. I'm active in my own life; I don't just sit back and trust that something divine will take care of all my problems. I don't just trust that my faith will make everything all right."

"But sometimes faith is the _only_ thing that will make everything all right." Venner responded quietly, in sharp contrast to Lee's agitation.

"That's what Kara thinks too, that's why she's sitting in sickbay now with her hands folded in prayer." Lee shouted. "But you were just in there with them—did everything look _all right_ to you?"

Venner again lowered his head. "No, it didn't."

"It's like some sick little game. The minute I started to let myself go, the minute I started to believe that we are blessed………..was the minute it all fell apart." Lee shook his head wildly. "I'm not gonna look up to the heavens for answers, I'm gonna look for something real and tangible and practical. I'm gonna look for something that will give me a response that you don't need a Mt. Olympus decoder ring to understand." Lee turned again to start to walk away. "I want my daughter happy and healthy, and if faith can't give that to me—then FRAK faith! I'll find something that can."

Corporal Venner stood frozen in the middle of the corridor. Lee was halfway down it when he turned around and walked back, tearing the drawing off the wall before continuing on his way.

* * *

As soon as he sent Kara off to their quarters to try to sleep, Lee came to stand beside Laura's bed. "Laura? I brought you something." He said gently, holding up the picture from the corridor. "Do you remember when you drew this? You gave it to Duck." 

"You gave that to me, Laura." Duck leaned down to whisper in her ear as she laid on her side, facing her father. "Do you remember? It's of the ocean; you told me you'd always like to see an ocean."

"Float away." Laura sang dreamily. "Float away on the waves. Far away, far, far away from here."

Lee sighed and tacked the drawing up on the wall beside them. "I don't think they'll let you out of sickbay just to go for a swim, sweetheart."

"That's Duck's!" Laura shouted, sitting up in bed and pointing to the drawing. "Give it back! He'll be mad that you took it!"

Lee came back over and carefully made her lie back down. "Duck's dead, sweetheart. I don't think he'll mind that I took it."

"Dead Duck. Didn't live up to his name, shoulda duck-and-run." Laura repeated, giggling crazily. "He went _boom_ in a ball of fire. Crispy Duck."

"Kat says hi." Lee told her, ignoring her rambling as he sat down in the chair beside the bed. "She'd like to come visit you again."

"Kat can't be in the same room as Duck." Laura mumbled, curling around herself. "Kat chases Duck, tears out his feathers."

"Duck's not here." Lee whispered, touching her face.

"He can't see me, Laura." Duck confirmed, gesturing to the other four non-corporeal people standing in the room. "Only you can see us."

"Only I can see you." Laura moaned softly. "Kitty Kat can come later, when it's not so _crowded _in here."

Lee shook his head at her. "Baby? I'm the only one in here with you."

"She is in such pain." Roslin rasped out, the tears stinging her eyes as she looked down at her namesake from where she stood beside Lee's chair. "What kind of monster would do this to her?"

"It was the Doctor." Leoben explained, standing next to her. "He used our very words against us, twisted them to serve his own purpose."

"We tried to warn her in a dream of what would happen." Elosha added from the other side of the bed. "But when it came to pass, she was powerless to stop it."

Roslin came up to the bed and laid a hand on Laura's blanketed knee. "We're going to help you, little Laura."

"I know you will, Laura." Laura looked up at President Roslin and smiled, before drawing the cashmere blanket higher up around her shoulders. "Nurse Coaker will help you."

"Yes." The fifth ghost in the room came up on the other side and stroked Laura's hair. "I will."

"Laura?" Lee whispered again. "I thought you remembered me telling you; Nurse Coaker's dead too."

"Nurse Coaker's in sickbay." Laura pointed to the woman beside her that Lee couldn't see.

"No, she's not!" Lee shouted, breaking down in frustrated exhaustion. "She's in the frakking morgue!" He stopped himself and took a shuddering breath, calming down so he wouldn't frighten her. He reached over and took her hand. "Little Laura? Sometimes, people get very sad. They get so sad that it makes them sick, and they think that nothing in the world can make them better again……….so they choose not to _live_ in the world anymore." Lee felt a tear fall down his face. "Nurse Coaker's entire family died when Tauron was attacked. And even though she tried to hide it; she was very sad, and she missed them. She left a note, saying that she wanted to go be with her family."

"I never had a family that lived on Tauron." Nurse Coaker explained to Laura. She then looked up to the other ghosts in the room. "And that is most definitely _not_ what I said in my note."

"We know." Leoben assured her. "Another Cylon aboard Galactica found your body, then tossed out your note and wrote another one in its place."

"But _your_ family's right here with you, Laura." Lee continued, unaware of the other conversation. "And we want you to stay. So, you can't go anywhere. You have to stay with us, you understand?"

"She has no family, she's stuck in limbo." Laura whispered dejectedly to herself, a tear falling out the corner of her eye. "And no one can help me now."

"_I_ want to help you." Lee whispered back, bringing her hand to his lips. "If you could just tell me how."

"It burned my hand." She told him, tugging on the hand that he held, trying to explain what Baltar had done to her. "It burned going in, like fire in my hand."

"You want me to let go? Is that it, Laura?" Lee gripped her hand in his even tighter, smiling sorrowfully. "Its never gonna happen, little girl. I don't care how much it burns."

Laura laughed breathily. "Everyone thinks that fire burns orange." She sat up and tapped his chin, leaning in to where she was inches from his face, looking straight in his eyes. "But it actually burns _blue_. If it's hot enough—it burns blue."

"Laura, please stop talking nonsense." Lee pleaded, lowering his head.

Laura began to cry and fell back to the pillows, looking up at the other people in the room. "He doesn't understand."

"Baltar did this to her." Coaker said harshly. "I was too weak to try and stop him while I was alive, but he must be stopped."

"Yes, he must." Leoben added, looking across to Roslin for reassurance. "Those of us who have been allowed to go to the afterlife, or those like me that have been boxed--we know differently. But the Doctor thinks that he is serving a holy purpose."

"He thinks she is a child of the Cylon." Elosha continued. "But she is a child of destiny."

"Baltar thinks he has a claim to her." Duck finished.

"He thinks he's my father." Laura laughed maniacally, through her tears. "Silly man, he's _not_ my father."

Lee's face crumpled, thinking that Laura was talking about him. "Not by blood." He leaned up and pressed his forehead against hers. "But you run through my veins, nonetheless."

"All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again." Roslin touched Laura's cheek, attempting to brush away the tears. "The gods will help you, Laura. Until then……..we'll do what we can."

"The gods will do it!" Laura shouted ecstatically, still in Lee's face. "They'll help me."

"The gods can't help you, sweetheart." Lee whispered, pulling back to kiss her forehead. "But Mom and I love you so much, and we're gonna find somebody who can."

"The twins of Zeus and their poisoned arrows." Laura patted the side of his face and grinned at him. "My own personal Apollo. Pretty sun god, Apollo."

* * *

"You'll be found you out, Gaius." Six told him harshly, walking down the hall with him as he made his way to Cottle's office. "You can't just destroy someone's mind like that and get away with it." 

"Laura will recover." Baltar assured his invisible companion. "As soon as I stop giving her the shots that are enveloping her in this madness, she'll be as good as new."

"She'll have memories of what you did to her." Six warned, stopping their walk in the middle of the hallway. "Or they'll find traces of whatever it was that you gave to her."

"It's ironic," He began. "Did you know that certain psychotropic medications, when combined together in certain body chemistries, can actually _cause_ the psychosis that they were designed to treat?" He smirked at her. "I bet you _didn't_ know that. Not many people do, unless of course—they are _geniuses_." He took a step closer to her and cocked his head to the side. "What exactly will they find traces of? Of course they'll find traces of the two anti-psychotic drugs. After all, when I was treating her, Laura was having a psychotic episode—."

"She wasn't psychotic!" Six sneered at him. "She was drugged. You knew that those drugs combined together in her special blood type would have this effect, and you did it on purpose. You are poisoning our child!"

"Because you practically forced me to, darling! You can't get indignant with me now!" He yelled back, grateful that his meeting with the Adamas was happening in the middle of the night, when the hallways were essentially vacant. "Those unscrupulous measures that you were talking about? You made your bed, and now you must allow me to lie in it."

"If anything happens to her—."

"Can we dispense with the foreboding threats?" He scoffed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "When Laura is fully under my care, she will experience a miraculous recovery. One in which she will not remember the '_unwavering love, tempered by discipline ……..and control_' that I gave to her." He winked at Six. "I believe that was what you called it, wasn't it, darling?"

"You say that this miraculous recovery will only occur when she is under your care." Six mocked. "How do you expect to make that happen, Gaius? You forget that I was with you when you were in sickbay treating her. Her human parents were constantly there, they will not cast her aside. They love her too much."

"That is what I'm counting on." He assured her, continuing on his path toward sickbay. "Once Laura is under my care, she will improve. But if she ever tries to go back to the life she had before, I'll make sure her mental state deteriorates again. When her parents see that it is the life she has with them that is making her sick, they'll do what's right." A wicked gleam flashed in his eye as he turned his head to see her walking next to him. "They won't cast her aside, but I'm counting on the fact that they love her enough to do anything to make her better again…………even if it means letting her go."

* * *

"Low-latent inhibition?" Lee repeated as he sat in Cottle's office, looking up at Baltar. 

"What the frak is that?" Kara questioned from beside Lee.

"It's what we think is wrong with Laura." Dr. Snow, a neurologist who had been a passenger on the Palasca Maru, replied. "It's a valid neurological condition, but it's a _human_ condition—."

"So obviously, in Laura's case, it goes much deeper." Baltar interrupted. "But Dr. Cottle, Dr. Snow, and I have done various tests on Laura, and it' s closest thing we can come up withas adiagnosis. All of her symptoms are consistent with low-latent inhibition."

"But I'm afraid that because of Laura's Cylon half, her rapid growth, and various—." Snow hesitated. "—other factors……..it's an _extreme_ variation."

"What happens with this condition?" The Admiral spoke up from where he stood, leaning against the wall behind Lee and Kara. "Or more importantly, what caused it?"

Cottle cleared his throat and sat up straighter behind his desk. "I'm afraid it was caused by the sudden inactivity we saw on her scan." He took a deep breath. "After Laura had her seizure but before she was released from sickbay, she was acting very…….._manic_, I suppose you could say."

"Yes." Baltar agreed. "Nurse Coaker—gods rest her soul—even mentioned that to me."

"Smartest thing that copy of number Ten ever did, eating those pills." Six whispered as she traced Baltar's ear. He gulped loudly at the revelation, and had to struggle to keep the shock from his face when he realized what it meant. "Made me ill to come into sickbay and see such a watered-down version of a Cylon staring back at me." Six continued, sighing in exasperation. "All the later numbers are weak; we've had problems with every model after Seven. After all, Sharon was an Eight."

"I, um, I noticed the behavior myself." Baltar added with a stutter, shaking off his surprise. "Surely you must have too. That was why you agreed to let us give her a sedative."

"_You_ said the thing that shut down in her brain wasn't going to hurt her." Kara accused.

"We didn't think it would." Cottle defended.

"In our own defense, what we said was that we didn't think it would hurt her human side." Baltar interjected. "Well, Laura is half-Cylon, and _that _was affected by the inactivity."

"Perhaps if we could explain to them _how_, Dr. Baltar." Snow suggested.

"Of course." Baltar nodded, walking over to a whiteboard on the wall. "Most human beings really only see things in a certain way, they only see the candy-coated shell, if you will. But everything in existence……. exists on _many_ levels." He drew an image on the board and turned back around. "What do you see?"

"A really shitty drawing of a Viper." Kara stated rudely, looking at what he had drawn.

"Yes, well, imagine that you're looking at a _real_ Viper."

"Okay." Lee said.

"You see the wings, the canopy, the carriage, the body, and the build of the plane." Baltar pointed to the image. "But obviously, there's more to it than that, things that the naked eye does not see: wiring, electric pulses."

"Obviously." Adama agreed.

"A Viper is a very complex machine. Well, so is everything else in the universe." Baltar told them. "Everything in existence has a blueprint, it has an energy to it; even the simplest of things." He held up the marker in his hands. "Like this marker here. Even _it_ has a dozen different facets and qualities, but we overlook them, because it is not vital to our lives that we see them."

"The universe has so many different aspects, that the brain must shield some of them from our perspective." Snow informed them. "In every brain, there is a section that does that; that inhibits us from seeing these things. The brain does this to protect us, to protect our psyche. If this function is working correctly, we just see the candy coated shell, as Dr. Baltar put it—we don't see the creamy filling inside." Snow's eyes grew sympathetic. "The average person couldn't stand to see all these various layers of life. It would just be too much to process, it would be exhausting, it would drive us crazy."

"Kind of like Laura is now." Cottle finished sadly.

"But you said it was her Cylon side that was affected." Kara reminded them. "So why is Laura, _our daughter_, lying sick in that bed?"

"That _is_ why she's in the state she's in now." Snow replied. "It's something that we didn't anticipate. It's not the _activation _of any Cylon program, it's the _deactivation_. The Cylon section of the brain faltered, but her _human _section is suffering as a result."

"Cylons see things differently than humans. Obviously, they're machines. They see the complexities, while most humans only see the simplicities." Baltar looked over at Six standing beside him. "But from everything that I've learned about Laura and some of the other agents who impersonated humans—like Lt. Valerri—there is a safeguard, if you will. Something that causes them to see things as the humans they are trying to impersonate would see them. They can't see things like a Cylon would, it would give them away. They can't afford to see the world in lines of binary code; they can't be allowed to see the patterns and infinitesimal nuances in the universe that we as humans just do not see."

Kara closed her eyes as a sharp pain stabbed at her heart. _I see the patterns, I see the universe. I see it and you don't._

"They have to keep it hidden." Snow continued Baltar's thought. "From us, and therefore from themselves."

"The failure of this safeguard has allowed Laura to see things the way a Cylon would, and she can't deal with it." Cottle finished.

"But she _is_ part Cylon, why can't she deal with it?" Lee pointed out. "And I hate to keep pounding this truth in, but you said that an _average_ person couldn't stand to see these things—well, Laura's special, she's _not_ an average person."

"You're absolutely right, Major. She's not." Dr. Snow replied. "Dr. Cottle was speaking in psychological terms."

"Psychological?" Kara and Lee repeated at the same time.

"Yes." Baltar said. "A person of average intelligence would go insane as a result of this. But there are actually some _humans_ that see things on this advanced level. And someone of _above average_ intelligence, like Laura, would actually become _more_ gifted, creative, and blessed……….mentally speaking."

Adama pushed off the wall and pointed into the hub of sickbay. "Does my granddaughter look _blessed_ to you?"

"No." Snow replied. "But what we're trying to say is that it's not the condition that is making her that way."

"Then _what_ is making her that way?" Lee hissed.

"_She is_." Baltar answered sadly. "She's doing it to herself."

"NO." Kara shook her head in denial as Lee's mouth hung open in disbelief. "You're wrong. She wouldn't do that. Why would she make herself sick like that?"

"This is utterly fascinating, Gaius." Six said, standing behind him and rubbing his shoulders. "It would be even more fascinating if any of it were true."

"We believe very strongly that she is suffering from a variation of this condition, it's the only thing that makes sense." Snow continued. "But she _could _deal with it mentally, if she only had the tools to deal with it psychologically."

"She HAS the tools to deal with it!" Kara shouted. "We'll _help_ her deal with it."

"You can't." Baltar told her simply. "_You_ are part of the problem."

"Laura's mind is acting differently; it's acting like a Cylon's would." Cottle's face was compassionate. "But her heart is still human; and it still rests firmly with you."

"Her mind is at war with her heart." Baltar explained. "So she has retreated inside herself, because she knows that she has changed. She knows that she is not the same person you knew before, and she doesn't think she _belongs_ with you anymore."

Lee and Kara both squeezed their entwined hands at the same time, remembering the mantra that Laura had been repeating over and over. _Don't belong with you. See things different, don't belong._

"I don't understand." Lee pleaded. "She doesn't--we _want _her to come back to us. Doesn't she understand that?"

"No. She _doesn't_ understand that. She doesn't think that's true." Cottle told him. "Not because of anything that you've _done_. But because of unwritten rules that have existed since the dawn of time."

"There are things that tell us to hold ourselves back." Baltar explained coming to perch on the edge of Cottle's desk in front of Lee and Kara. "Society, nature, the compulsive need for acceptance. They are constantly telling us that we shouldn't go too far, run too fast, or jump too high; and that if we don't follow those rules, there is something _wrong_ with us. But there are some people that simply _cannot_ be held back. We _have _to go far, run fast, and jump high………..because to _not_ do so would cause us to be less than what we are. We would be incomplete."

"You keep saying _we_, Doctor." Adama pointed out.

"Yes, I'm sorry. That was………" He paused for an acceptable amount of time and took on a fake agonized expression, so that they would think he was struggling. "I just still remember what it was like for me when, like Laura, I realized that I saw things in a different way than most people. I struggled with it for years."

"Why?" Kara asked softly.

"Because I had no one to guide me." Baltar replied. "There is gifted, and then there is what Laura and I experience. Ours is a whole new level of intelligence, a much higher level of intelligence that most people could even comprehend."

Six came to stand in front of him and ran her fingers through his hair. "It's astounding that, even in the midst of this tragedy, you can still find a way to remind people that you are smarter than they are."

"I spent many years of my adolescence miserable. I felt out of place and alone in the world, because I _was_." Baltar kept his head lowered so that they would believe he was distressed. "This is why I can study Cylons, this is why I can understand them. Because on some small, horrible level--I can relate."

"Horrible?" Six hissed in insult.

"I can see things as a Cylon would, but my intelligence is tempered by my humanity, something that the Cylons don't have. So I don't have the same capacity for cold, calculated evil that they do." Baltar looked pointedly at the three Adamas. "Laura has the same intelligence, but she also has the same humanity inside her. Not only because of Lt. Agathon, but because of what she has learned from you." He touched his chest. "And I can show her how to use her intelligence _and_ her humanity to help people, just like I have."

"Oh, come on, Gaius." Six smiled appreciatively, sauntering to stand next to the Admiral. "We both know that you help yourself the most of all."

"But as proud as I am to be able to help my race--it comes at a price." Baltar sighed with exaggeration. "People like Laura and I, we exist in your world, and we can help you live in it; happily and safely. But we don't really live in it _ourselves_."

"But she _has _lived in it," Kara stated firmly. "For close to two years."

"But she's _different_ now." Baltar retorted just as firmly. "And if you can't accept that, then she never will."

"We _can_ accept it." Lee told them. "Why do you think that we _can't_?"

"Do you think I don't see the strange looks that you give me? Even when you ask me for help, there is reluctance and fear wrapped up in your request." Baltar accused, turning the tables on them. "When I talk to myself, it's because no one else but me will understand what it is that I'm trying to figure out in my mind." He stopped when he saw Lee swallow roughly. "You look at me like I'm crazy, but I'm _not _crazy. I just deal with things on many different levels; see things in many different dimensions. _I'm_ just different……..like Laura is."

"And there's no way to bring her back?" Adama whispered.

"No! It's who she is now." Baltar told him indignantly. "But even if you could, why would you _want _to? Why would you force her to be less than what she is?"

"Because she's in pain!" Kara shouted, standing up from her chair.

"Maybe we should all take a break." Cottle interjected, gesturing to himself and the two other doctors. "We've been up for days, going over every test and every medical journal; pushing our brains to the limit, trying to find an answer. We're exhausted, we haven't slept."

"Join the frakking club, Doc." Kara shouted again. "I don't want to take a break! I want to find out what we can do to stop the pain that she's in."

"She's not in pain because of her new outlook on things. If she could come to terms with it, she would actually grow to look upon it as a gift. But she doesn't want to get to that point, because if she did, she would be choosing a new life over the one she had with you. And she views that as betrayal." Baltar continued, voice softening. "She's doing this to herself because she _loves you so much_, and it's killing her that she can't be like you. She's in pain because she wants to stay the same girl that she has always been; she wants to stay the girl that you knew. But she can _never_ be that girl again." He looked down at Lee and then over to Kara. "I know what that's like, it's horrible and frustrating. But please believe me when I say that she does not have to _stay_ in this kind of pain, she just has to find some sort of balance. Or else she will be miserable for years………. just like I was. And I don't think that I have to remind you that she doesn't have those years to spare."

Kara sunk down to the chair again and lowered her head. "No, you don't have to remind us."

"I have found my place in this world." Baltar said, kneeling down so that he was eye level with her. "I have been able to find that balance, and I have been able to harness my abilities so that I could help people. As I have helped all of _you_."

Kara looked up at Baltar, the look on her face was so defeated, so exhausted, and so heartbroken that it even gave _his _calculating mind a moment's pause. "Can you help _her_?"

"Keep going, Gaius." Six told him, smiling appreciatively. "They've been broken enough that they believe it. You're almost there."

Out of the corner of his eye, Baltar could see Lee cover his eyes in shame and despair, but also in resignation.

"I don't know." Baltar looked away. "All that time that I spent teaching her, I saw how special she was. Laura has endeared herself to me, as she has endeared herself to most everyone. I used to think of my genius as a burden, but it is _not_ a burden. And if I can help Laura see that her situation is not burdensome either, then maybe what I went through will have been for some purpose. I was alone in my struggle, but maybe the universe made me go through it alone--so that Laura won't have to."

Lee dropped his hand and looked straight at Baltar, his blue eyes moist with held-back tears. Then in a cracked voice, he repeated the last thing Kara had said. "_Can_ you _help_ her?"

Baltar lowered his head. "It will be difficult, and we will all have to take exteme measures. " He humbly looked back up to them. "But I'd like to try………….if you'll let me."

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Lee opened the hatch of the chapel and entered to see Kara sitting alone in the front row. He cautiously walked to join her there, but only stood beside it when he reached the pew. "I've been looking for you."

"I don't want to fight about this anymore, Lee." She whispered, not taking her eyes off the twelve banners hanging on the front wall.

"I didn't come here to fight." He told her softly. "I just needed to see you, and I thought: 'Where _else_ would Kara be in a time of crisis?'"

"That's funny." She sneered at him, clearly not amused, as she stood up to stand in front of him. "And I was thinking: 'Gee, Kara, go to the chapel to get away from Lee, because that's the one place he'll _never_ go."

She started to walk away from him but he reached out and grabbed her wrist. "I don't want to do this……this is absolute insanity."

"Then it fits with the situation, don't you think?" She sighed, turning to face him again and freeing herself of his grasp. "After all, '_insane_' seems to be the watchword in our lives these days."

Lee's head dropped down. "Kara—."

"People do desperate things in desperate situations, Lee!" She screamed at him. "Think of all the desperate things we've done in our lives. And we're still here, so most of them have paid off!"

"But some of them _haven't_!" He screamed back. "And we're talking about our daughter here!"

"I can't keep seeing her like that, Lee. I can't do it." She started to cry as a way of retort. "I feel sick _all the time_. And I don't just mean emotionally tormented, I mean _physically ill_. I really feel that if I keep seeing her like that, I'll soon be in a sickbay bed next to her."

"I know." He whispered, a single tear falling down his cheek as well.

"We have to at least try it." She roughly wiped away the wetness from her face. "The alternative is to keep doing what we're doing, _which is nothing_, and keep her miserable like that. Do we really want to do that to her……just because we don't like the person that's offering to help her?"

Lee then did something she never thought she would see. He sat down in a pew, lowered his head and folded his hands in his lap. "I want to listen to my heart." He choked out on a sob. "But it's so broken that everything its saying is coming out so muffled."

Kara sniffled and looked around the room at the lit candles, the idols, the banners, and of course, the Arrow of Apollo sitting in the glass case off to the side. "A while ago, I sat in this room with Laura and I told her that _she _was what I'd been praying for all my life, because she was _real_. I could see the evolution of the universe's plan as I watched her grow." She took in a gulp of air and continued with a shaky voice. "And I told her that you had a good idea, because you put your faith in other people, instead of mystical beings."

He lifted his head. "I didn't mean Gaius Baltar."

"He's the only one giving us any answers, any course of action." She looked up to the ceiling. "I've been sitting and praying in sickbay for ten days now, and nothing that I do is helping her. I'm tired of it, Lee." She looked back at him. "Laura was the last answer I got from the gods. She wasn't the answer I thought I'd get, and a lot of people thought it was total madness, but she has made my life immeasurably better."

"Mine too." Lee whispered.

"Well, what if this time, _Baltar_ is the answer that will make _Laura's_ life better?" She bit her thumb between her teeth and shook her head. "I know you don't want to give up—."

He stood up and cupped the side of her face. "You and I _swore_, Kara. When we signed those adoption papers, when we stood in this chapel and got married—."

Kara laughed wistfully, interrupting him. "With Laura in my arms, pulling on my hair."

"Every time we tucked her in, every time we sat at our dinner table, every time you and I laid in our bed and made love to each other—we were swearing on everything good and decent and holy—that we would protect her, that we would take care of her, that we would be her family."

"We were also swearing that we would be her _parents_." Kara looked at him, her eyes pleading and full of tears. "And parents make sacrifices for the good of their children." She closed her eyes and let the tears fall. "Even if what they'll be giving up………… is something that they think they can't live without."

"I can't let Laura be a sacrifice."

"_She's_ not the sacrifice." Kara corrected softly. "_We_ are. We're offering up our claim on her life, so that she can go find her own. I would rather see her thriving without me, than suffering beside me."

"I want us to _fight_ for her, Kara."

"Yeah, that's what I want too. But that's not gonna do it this time, because the person who's gonna be hurt most by that is the person that we'd be fighting _for_." She sobbed. "Our hearts would be in the right place, and we'd be fighting like noble warriors--like Apollo and Starbuck. But Apollo and Starbuck aren't the parents of Laura Adama. _Lee and Kara _are."

Lee was quiet for a moment, then his resolve crumbled and he pulled her to him, burying his face in her shoulder. "Where did we go wrong? I wanted us to be good parents to her."

"We WERE. It wasn't us; it's just the way of things." She cried back, stroking his hair. "Maybe we were stupid to think that this would work, that we could pull this off forever. We've always known that this idea was crazy." She chuckled remorsefully. "But we just kinda barreled through the flashing neon caution signs."

"It was a _good _idea, though. And we put our all into it, and we were happy for a long time." He sighed and held onto Kara tighter. "I love her so much."

"I do too."Kara whispered, her voice cracking. "Laura will be our family for the rest of her life, for the rest of _our_ lives. That's never gonna change." She pulled back again and their eyes met, brutal honesty shining in hers. "My mother used to always tell me that I wasn't _good enough_. My whole life, I've had those words echoing in my head. And for the longest time, those words held me back. But that was only until Laura showed up, and you and I became her parents. Then, those words started to _drive_ me, because I wanted to prove my mother wrong, I wanted to be a better mother than she ever was." Her voice faltered and she bit her lip as he kissed her temple. "My mother would have swallowed nails before she would have ever done anything that hurt her pride; even if I would've benefited from it, even if I would've been spared a lifetime of pain because of it. If it had meant that she would have to admit that she was in over her head, she wouldn't have done it; because she thought of herself, first and foremost. Not me."

Lee nodded in understanding. "We're not the most important people in this. This isn't about _us_."

"I want nothing more than to believe that my love and my stubbornness and my determination will make this better. But I can't take that chance with Laura's well-being." Kara let out a long exhale. "Maybe the best way I can think of to prove that I'm good enough, is to admit that in this instance……………_I'm not_."

* * *

"I'd much rather talk to Captain Thrace and Major Adama _personally_ if they have any questions." Baltar rasped out nervously as he stood in the Admiral's quarters, feeling like he was about to face a firing squad. 

"My son and daughter-in-law are in their quarters now and they're not to be disturbed." Adama told him, sitting at his desk, not even looking up from signing the papers that Dualla was placing in front of him. "Besides, I didn't ask you to come here on their behalf, but on mine."

"I see." Baltar nodded.

"Please understand that the idea of this is hard for me." Adama sighed, finally glancing at Baltar. "I have some reservations about what you're suggesting."

"Of course you do." Baltar agreed. "You love her very much, it's normal to have some doubts. After all, what this entails is going to be quite difficult for everyone at first." He then touched his own chest. "But I care for Laura as well, and I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this……….but I see no other way to help her."

"Admiral?" Dee spoke up softly from beside him. "I'm not trying to step out of line here, but—."

"Speak your mind, Dee." He assured her.

"I've been with Laura in sickbay numerous times. I've listened to her talk—."

"You mean you've listened to her _ramble_." Baltar interjected rudely.

The Admiral shot him a withering glare, but Dualla only ignored him as she continued. "I know this sounds strange, but there might actually be _meaning_ to what she's saying. She ………..she could be speaking prophetically."

"It doesn't sound strange." Baltar again added rudely, glancing at Number Six as she sat on the corner of Adama's desk. "Because people often get caught up in religious fervor when faced with something they don't understand."

Dee looked down to catch Adama's eyes. "We've always known that Laura was special—."

"Because she's half-machine!" Baltar hissed, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is crazy."

"No one's opinion is going to be shot down because someone else thinks it's crazy." Adama reminded Baltar. "If that were standard practice, no one would've listened to a single word you've ever said."

"I'm sorry, Admiral." Baltar said as he walked to stand closer to the desk, pointing at Dee. "But I've been in sickbay a lot more than she ever has. I'm with Laura _everyday_; I see things that the Petty Officer doesn't. She's talking about superstition and myth, while I'm talking about trying to spare a young woman from a lifetime of psychological turmoil!"

"You're talking about treating her like a case study!" Dualla snapped.

"No, I'm talking about _treating_ her, PERIOD." Baltar answered loudly. "No one else is even doing that. Tell me, can your myths and prophecies give these devastated people any treatment options?"

There was silence as Dee bit her tongue. "No, they can't." She replied in a whisper, not looking back to him, but instead looking to the Admiral who was shielding his eyes from the scene. "You're also talking about separating her from the only family she's ever known."

"That may be what it seems like to an outside observer, but that is _not_ the case." Baltar retorted. "As I have assured _the members _of her family."

"I _am_ a member of her family." Dee shot back. "And you'll just have to forgive me if I'm not comforted by your assurances."

"We know that you are looking at this medically; and you're her doctor, that's what we want you to do. But we're her _family_, and we're looking at this emotionally." Adama said carefully. "We just want some reassurances that you will take extra precautions to ensure that nothing you do will harm her."

"Oh, I'm getting quite sick of this." Baltar sneered, offended. "I am offering to spend a good portion of my time—of my life—trying to _help_ Laura. Purely because I care about her and it's the right thing to do. And I'm getting an interrogation in return; I'm being met with paranoia and resentment." His face was red and he tapped his finger on the desk. "It's actually quite insulting, that you people believe I'd ever want to do anything to hurt that child—."

"_That child_?" Dualla repeated firmly, lifting her chin in defiance. "Belongs to this ship. If you ever wanted to do anything to hurt her? Well, you could give it a try…………but you'd have to step over a _lot_ of dead bodies to do it." Dualla yanked back a page from the Admiral's desk and placed another one down. "This page needs to be signed in triplicate, sir."

Adama chuckled quietly and looked back up at her, his eyes shining with pride. "Yes, ma'am.

Six came up behind Baltar and wrapped her arms around him, her whisper tickling his ear. "Well, Gaius, maybe you should tell the young Petty Officer that those are acceptable terms."

* * *

The next day, Baltar knocked on the door of the Cloud Nine hotel. He waited a few moments before it opened and was met with a familiar face. 

"Gaius." She greeted, stepping back from the door to grant him access. "Please, come in."

"Thank you." He said as he entered the room, looking around at the suite. "I'm sorry I didn't give you more notice that I was coming. It's just that, I have to be careful of my appearances these days. Something is happening, something that could change all of our lives……..and I have to be on my best behavior."

She closed the door. "Did they agree to give Laura to you yet?"

"No, not yet." He turned around to face her. "They are still debating. But I've planted the seed of self-doubt in their minds, and soon they'll see that what I'm suggesting is………………….." He stopped suddenly and swallowed loudly. "How did you know about that? I haven't been to see you in weeks."

She giggled breathily and sat down at the foot of the bed. "Caught me." She grinned lasciviously as she reclined. "Never could get anything past you, could I, darling? Except for the whole not-realizing-I-was-a-Cylon thing."

"You're not Gina." He stated, his face immobile with shock.

"Right again." She giggled.

"I don't understand, who are you?" He looked around the room in disbelief.

"You don't recognize me, Gaius?" She pouted playfully. "I'm only with you _all the time_, though I haven't been around in about fourteen hours; which should've been your first clue that something out of the ordinary was going on."

His face fell and he had to struggle to breathe. "This is……..how can you be? You only exist in my head……. but you're really _here_ with me, and you look just like Gina."

"Oh…….you _used_ to think that _Gina _looked just like _me._" She again pouted as she rose from the bed and walked to him, fingering his collar. "Your heart really is a fickle creature, isn't it?"

He grasped her wrist. "Quit toying with me and give me an answer."

"This is Gina's body." She smirked at him and stroked his hair. "Which, if I'm correct, you haven't taken comfort in yet. Oh, poor Gaius. It's horrible to want something so badly and keep being rejected." She then pulled his hair harshly. "Trust me, I _know_."

"So you are _her_? The woman I see everywhere?" He questioned, pulling away from her. "How is that possible? No Resurrection ship, no downloading……….for frak's sake, there wasn't even anything to _download_. You only exist in my head!"

"I told you a long time ago that I DON'T _only exist in your head_. If I were merely a figment of your subconcious, how would I know some of the things that I know?" She grinned cleverly. "And I'm not a computer program either—."

"Then _what _are you?" He shouted.

"I am an agent of God, sent to work his will." She said calmly. "I was meant to guide you to your destiny, but now the plan has come to fruition and it was time for me to take a more _active_ role." She smiled reverently. "Gina graciously sacrificed herself for the cause. Perhaps because she wanted to see our noble mission achieved, or perhaps because she wanted to end her own pain. I don't know…….I don't really care, either. Let's just hope that her offering is enough to wipe clean her sin of helping to destroy the Resurrection ship, and that she has found her way to God."

"This is impossible." Baltar whispered, shaking his head.

She came to him and soothed him by wrapping her arms around his neck, lightly kissing his lips. "This has never been about algorithms and synaptic networking, Gaius. You know that. This has always been more profound." She traced her tongue against his bottom lip. "Nothing is impossible in the presence of God. And he is all around us."

"He is?" Baltar questioned inattentively as he met her increasingly hungry mouth.

"Yes." She undid the buttons of her top and let it fall to the floor before beginning to work on his shirt. "And he is most pleased with you. Soon this will all be over and our true lives can begin." She gasped and let her head fall back, pressing her body against his as he leaned in to devour her neck and shoulders. "You will claim our child and then you will bring her to me……..and the three of us will bask in the glory of God forever."

* * *

Dualla walked out of CIC and into the corridor, intently reading the day's manifest. 

"Dee?" She heard a voice call from behind her.

Dee turned around to see Kara waiting for her outside of Combat. "Hi, Starbuck." She greeted quietly.

Kara pushed off the wall and came to stand in front of her. "Are you off-shift?"

"Yeah, just now."

Kara nodded. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure." Dee gestured down the hall. "Let's go to the conference room, nobody's using it right now."

The two women walked until they reached the room, Kara walked in first and Dee shut the hatch behind them. Kara stood with her back to Dee. "You know what's going on."

Dee smiled faintly. "Was that a question or a statement?"

"Both." Kara said, turning around with a blank expression on her face. "You're the communications officer, Dee. You're the eyes and ears of this ship,you know a lot about what happens on it." She paused and sucked in a breath. "You know what's going on?"

Dee nodded sadly. "I do."

"And?" Kara bit her quivering lip. "Everyone on the ship………..do they hate us? Do they think we're horrible people for even considering this?"

"NO." Dee shook her head fiercely. "They think you're in an impossible situation. They think you're trying to do the best you can."

Kara cradled her forehead in her hand and started taking in harsh gulps of air. "_I don't know what to do._" She shivered. "Baltar _wants_ Laura. He says that to help her, he needs to have some control. He keeps assuring us that we'll still be her parents, but that—at least for a while—he needs to have some authority over decisions concerning her. He thinks it will '_hinder her intensive treatment and therefore her recovery_' if Lee and I are hovering over them all the time."

"So he's basically telling you to stand aside." Dee confirmed softly.

"We're standing aside now!" Kara shouted in anger. "So why would it be worse to stand aside and let her actually _get help_!"

There was silence for a moment. "That wasn't what I meant, Starbuck." Dee stepped forward a few inches and looked Kara right in the eye. "I'm sorry. _I'm_ losing my mind with this, so I can't even imagine what you guys are going through."

"He wants to run tests on her, on her abilities." Kara turned away again and walked to the wall. "And I feel like banging my head against the wall every time I find myself even _considering_ letting him do that. But he said that in order to help her come to terms with being different, he has to know exactly _how_ she's different."

"But you've always known that she was different, even before all of this happened."

"But we've never _understood_ it." Kara turned around again and went to stand by the table. "She knows things, Dee. Things that she shouldn't know; thoughts and feelings that people keep locked inside themselves, memories of things that happened before she was born."

"I know." Dee whispered, lowering her head.

"We love her like she's…………….but she's _not._ She never _has_ been." Kara closed her eyes in shame. "Her intelligence, her rapid aging--just the fact that she was conceived and born and exists at all—it's a frakking miracle of science."

"No, it's a miracle of something _else_."

"Well, whatever it's a miracle of, it's beyond our comprehension. Before, if we felt uncomfortable with it, that was _our _problem. And we just ignored it or got over it—."

"Because you love her." Dee concluded, placing a hand on Kara's shoulder.

"But it's not our problem anymore, it's _hers_. She's suffering because of it, so we can't ignore it or get over it, because _she_ can't. And I find myself pleading to anything that will listen—that it could be _our_ problem again."

Dee closed her eyes and spoke with underlying meaning that Kara did not yet understand. "You'd do anything, _give up_ anything ……….for her."

"And Lee's having an aneurysm. He keeps asking: '_How can we let this man have control over our daughter's life? Baltar, of all people, how can we do that, Kara?_' And aside from the fact that Baltar's the only one giving us anything remotely resembling an answer? I don't know what to tell him!" She collapsed heavily into one of the chairs and held her head in her hands. "I'm trying to be strong, put on a brave face, and be the voice of reason. I know that we swore to Sharon, to the President, and to ourselves, that we'd protect her. But I don't know what we're protecting her _from_ anymore. What if we're hurting her by not allowing her to be what she is?"

Dee knelt down so that she was eye level with Kara. "What she is? Is a beautiful girl, in every way. And _you_ did that; you and Apollo did, everyone on this ship did—I don't know _what_ all did that—but it certainly wasn't Gaius Baltar and his scientific tests." Dee's resolve was firm as she laid her hand on Kara's knee. "You just have to hold on for a little while longer, Starbuck. Something will give you the answers you need."

* * *

"We have to tell them, Billy." Dee said later that night as she spoke into the phone. "If we don't, it's going to break them. They have to know that all of this is for a greater purpose." 

"But if we tell them the truth; it'll go against the very reason we kept this a secret for so long." Billy pointed out. "Then how can we trust that things will play out as they're supposed to?"

"If we don't tell them, Gaius Baltar is going to get a hold of Laura." Dee retorted sadly. "That's _definitely not_ the way it's supposed to play out." She hesitated. "And…………"

"What, Dee?"

"I'm tired of lying to them." She whispered.

"We _haven't_ been lying, it's just that there are certain--" He stopped without finishing his sentence and took a breath. "You believe that, don't you, Dee?"

Her only answer was silence.

"Yeah." He exhaled, pausing again to let the effect sink in. "I'm not sure I believe it either."

"So we'll tell them." Her voice quivered. "And we'll just trust that they can handle it."

"That actually sounds like a really refreshing concept." He laughed sorrowfully. "I'll talk to Father Monseau. You'll need to clear Major Adama and Captain Thrace's schedule for tomorrow night. And the Admiral's as well, he should be there also." Billy's voice dropped to a gentle plea. "I'll need you beside me, Dee. I don't think I can do this without you."

"Of course." Dee replied softly. "After all…….it kinda concerns me too."

* * *

"I know that the military doesn't exactly pay well," Laura said looking around at the small, dingy apartment with random paint splotches covering the walls. "But this is just ridiculous." 

"You think so?" The young man with her in the apartment asked.

"Yep, this is a really shitty apartment." Laura pointed to the window. "I mean, the view's of the frakking parking lot."

"Don't cuss, little girl." Zak replied as he sat in the tattered chair by the window, his hands conducting the music that was coming out of the nearby speakers. "Your mother's never been materialistic."

"Yeah, I know." Laura added, rummaging through the items that were cluttered on the coffee table. "But I didn't think she was a total slob, either. I mean, this is the woman who's constantly yelling at me to pick my clothes up off the floor."

Zak laughed and put his feet on the table where she had cleared a space. "You need to remember that she had this place before she got her act together." He grinned broadly, the Caprican sun shining through the window and onto his face. "Before _you _came along."

"But after _you_ had died." Laura smiled sadly, looking down at him as he nodded back at her.

"Yes." He rose from the chair and stood before her. "She was a mess because it hurts when you lose something that you love." He paused and touched her shoulder. "Is that why you're allowing this to happen? Because you think that staying sick would be better than leaving them?"

She blanched and moved away from him. "I'm not _allowing_ anything to happen. Baltar drugged me and—."

"And you really think that Gaius Baltar is stronger than you?" He interrupted. "You really think that pumping you full of drugs would be enough to stop you? Laura, the _moment_ you made the decision to turn away from the Cylons, their connection to you was severed. _You _did that. _You can do anything_. And you have been given a great task—."

"Then why can't _they_ help me?" She pleaded, tears in her eyes. "The ones that _gave_ me the task?"

"They've done enough." He pointed out. "You should've been terminated; you should've been feared and despised. But you were instead adored and protected." He looked at her lovingly. "_They_ did that. They allowed people to look past what you represented, and see what you really _are_. And because they made the fear and uncertainty to go away—people were able to see that what you really _are_………is something wonderful."

"It's nice to finally meet you." Laura looked back at him with the same love. "I feel like I've known you my whole life."

"Maybe you have." Zak turned to look out the window. "You'll have to wake up soon. But you'll have to _choose _to wake up, that's the only way it will ever happen. You must decide to do it yourself, and no higher power is going to help you this time."

"Why?" She looked out the window as well.

"Because you have finally become what you were always meant to become." He answered simply. "We have guided you, we have looked out for you, and we have punished those that wished to harm you. But our task is complete now, because _you_ are complete now. And by now, if you aren't strong enough to wake up on your own? Then you won't be strong enough to complete the task you were created for."

"I'm scared." She whispered, lowering her head. "If I complete my task, I won't be here anymore."

He turned his face to her, gestured around the room and winked. "I thought you said this apartment was shitty?"

She giggled. "I'm not even really HERE, you jerk." She punched his shoulder and he laughed as he grasped it in pain. "You know what I meant."

"You'll still be with them." He assured her. "You'll _always_ be with them. That will never change."

"Yeah." She closed her eyes and felt herself sway slightly to the music. "But can I stay with you in this shitty apartment, just a little while longer?"

"Sure, I'd like that." He wrapped his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. "You can stay a little while longer ………….but you'll have to be up from your nap soon."

* * *

"This is so frakking ridiculous... and really insensitive too." Kara hissed as she stepped out of the shuttle and onto Colonial One. "They really expect us to drop everything and come over here?" 

"They just want to see us, Kara." Lee replied, taking her hand and guiding her to the hangar door.

"Well, I don't want to be _seen_." She shot back. "I don't want to leave Laura alone, and I still don't feel well enough for social gatherings, Lee."

He stopped midstride and turned to face her. "I don't exactly feel wonderful either, but they made it sound like it was important that they talk to us."

She dropped her chin to her chest. "It's just because they know that we're going to give Baltar our answer tomorrow, and they're going to try and change our minds." She walked to the nearby wall and leaned against it. "And I don't think I can deal with that……..having to explain ourselves to people, having to face their disappointment, when all that we're doing is what we think is best for our daughter."

He walked over to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "They're not disappointed, but they need to talk about it too, to understand it too, because they love her too."

She looked down the corridor. "Who all is going to be here?"

"The President, of course. Dee and Dad are already here, they came over together a little while ago. And Chief Tyrol, I think. He was supposed to be on deck, but I only saw Cally when we got on the shuttle to come here."

"Alright." She pushed off the wall. "Let's get this over with."

They made their way to the President's office and his assistant pulled open the curtain for them to enter. They walked in and saw Billy, Dee, Tyrol and the Admiral sitting together in the middle of the room.

Billy stood up when he saw them. "Thank you both for coming." He held out his hand for them to shake. "I know it's a lot to ask of you, given the situation……….." He trailed off and smiled apologetically. "Anyway, thanks for coming."

Dee stood up and moved down two chairs so that Lee and Kara could sit next to each other. "Please, sit. We're just waiting for two more people."

"Two more?" Lee asked, moving to sit down. "Who else is coming?"

"Hello, Major Adama." A voice spoke up from behind Lee.

Lee turned to see Father Monseau and Corporal Venner standing in the doorway.

"I'm sorry we're late, Mr. President." Monseau greeted, stepping into the room followed by the Corporal.

Kara got up from her seat and looked at Venner with agitation. "You're supposed to be guarding Laura. Who's with her?"

"I got Amy--Corporal Wilkes--to do it." He replied and pointed to the man beside him. "Father Monseau asked for my presence here."

Lee just gaped at Father Monseau. He then walked over to a corner of the room, gesturing for Billy to join him. Billy obliged and Lee spoke to him in a whisper.

"I'm not trying to be a prick, Billy, I'm really not." He sighed. "I know that he hasn't _really_ done anything to me or my family, so let's just chalk this up as _my problem_. But do you see how this is insulting to me? You know how I feel about this man, and you still ask this of me?" He gestured around the room. "You ask me to sit here and listen to his fanatical ramblings while my daughter is suffering?"

"_I'm_ not asking this of you—_Laura Roslin _is." Billy responded calmly, but firmly. "You remember her? She's reason you have your daughter in the first place. You _owe_ her this." He pointed back to the chair he wanted Lee to sit in. "I'm not trying to be a prick either, but I will be if I have to be. So, just do me a favor and sit here and listen to the priest's '_fanatical ramblings'_ for twenty godsdamn minutes." He walked away and back to the chairs.

Lee stood there, frozen in shock for a moment, but then finally complied with Billy's request.

"Father?" Billy spoke. "You can start anytime."

"Thank you." Monseau nodded, glancing around at the group. "I needed you all to be here, because while Laura has many people that she considers family, you are the key figures in her life. And therefore, what I'm about to tell you concerns all of you, because it concerns _her_."

"How does anything you have to tell us concern Laura?" Kara asked softly, slightly taken aback. "I mean, you're her priest, and that's important…….. but we're her _family_. Do you really think you know who she is better than we do?"

"No, of course not. You know Laura Adama better than anyone else ever could. However, what I'm going to tell you isn't concerning _who_ she is," Monseau admitted, his expression pensive and sad. "But rather, _what_ she is."

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

"She's our _child._ That's what she is." Lee stated simply, trying unsucessfully to hide his dislike for the priest. "We don't need you to tell us that."

"She _is_ your child. That has never been in question." Father Monseau replied. "Born to another, but you took her as your own." His mouth quirked up slightly. "And you've loved her without reservation her entire life, haven't you?"

"Of course we have." Kara's voice quivered and her leg shook nervously. "We raised her, we don't care that she's biologically someone else's. That's never been what this was about. We feel something stronger than genetics when it comes to her."

"I know." The priest added. "Something stronger than genetics has always been in play here."

Lee stood up from his chair. "If you're going to tell us that it has something to do with the gods." Lee fumed, grabbing Kara's hand to pull her up as well. "Then we can go, because we've heard it all before." The two of them walked toward the door. "And we don't need you to explain anything about Laura to us."

"What about the fact that she has your eyes, Major?" Monseau shouted after them, stopping their exits. "And the fact that she has the Captain's smile? Have you ever been able to get an explanation for that?"

Lee and Kara froze at the door and after a moment, turned back around. Lee pointed at Monseau. "I don't know what you think you're trying to do here, but—."

"Laura has the same determination, drive, and obsessive organizational skills as you, Apollo." Dee interjected softly, staring at her lap. "And she has the same sense of humor as Starbuck, the same stubborness, and she bluffs just like her too."

"She even has the same tell when she does it." Tyrol laughed. "She taps her lips with her fingertips, just like her mother."

"That's because we've taught her. She's grown up around us." Kara whispered, looking confused and uncertain. "Of course she'll have some of our same traits."

"The child…………" Monseau began. "……….is _yours_. She always _has_ been, always _will_ be. And you've known that, you've known it since the first moment you held her." He smiled knowingly, looking down to a book in his hands. "One moment, you were just two friends, two warriors struggling to get by in a world that no longer made sense. And then the next moment, the world suddenly DID make sense, because you had become a family."

Lee shook his head, his eyes pleading as he looked to Billy. "That doesn't mean it has something to do with—."

"That day in sickbay, the road of your life took a sharp turn, but the two of you managed to stay on it." Billy chuckled slightly. "That's commendable. Most people would've veered off to the side and crashed into something." He looked at Lee and Kara appreciatively. "But you're not _most _people."

"I'll bet the baby that would grow to become your daughter wasn't even a blip on your dradis screen before you stood beside the Cylon's deathbed and she asked you to raise her." Monseau guessed accurately. "You were both too worried with combat schedules, pilot readiness reports, and staying alive until the next battle, to really take note of the fact that the baby was going to be born." He shrugged slightly. "Hell, I bet you didn't even call her 'the baby'."

Lee heard himself gulp and felt Kara squeeze his hand. She looked over at him and before he knew it, he was being gently pulled back to sit in the chairs with the others. She still held his hand as they sat down and she nodded, giving silent permission for the priest to continue.

"You had no idea that your life would change. You didn't know what was coming." Monseau sat back down as well and put the book in his hands down on the coffee table in front of him. "But _something_ did. The story had already been written. And for many, many years, the knowledge of what was to come, was floating around and waiting to be revealed."

"And it was." Billy finished. "On the day that Laura was born, when the Cylon touched her arm, the truth was revealed to President Roslin."

"And a month later." Dee added sadly, shutting her eyes in guilt. "President Roslin revealed it to us."

"US?" Kara repeated, questioning harshly. "Who is _us_?"

Billy started to answer. "Myself, Dee, and Corporal Venner."

"Do you remember the first night that you ever let Laura off Galactica?" Dee questioned, her eyes still closed. "When the three of us took her to Colonial One?"

Kara felt a flush rise up her chest and onto her face. Yes, she remembered that night; the first night that she and Lee had proclaimed their love for each other, the first night they had ever shared a bed. She felt Lee's thumb stroke a small circle on her knee and she knew that he remembered it too. "Yes." She replied in a whisper. "I remember that night."

Dee opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "We didn't take her to Colonial One."

Lee's hand tensed where it lay on Kara's knee. "I'm sorry?" He hissed, pools of betrayal forming in his eyes. "Where the hell did you take her?"

"They brought her to me on the Ethereal Dawn." Monseau stated.

"Why?" Kara would've screamed if her voice could've risen above a slight croak. She silently begged for some sort of justification as she looked to Venner, Dee and Billy. "Why did lie to us…….and then take her to a missionary ship?"

"That night was the Delian Festival." Monseau told them. "It's a festival that only happens every four years. It's named after the island of Delos, where the twins of Zeus were born. It celebrates the births of Artemis and Apollo. We didn't think it was mere coincidence that the event would come just a month after you were given the child."

"Please tell me that you are not basing all of your beliefs about us on a stupid callsign." Lee muttered through clenched teeth. "I was almost given the callsign 'Squirrel' in flight school. Would that have changed your view of things?"

"No." Monseau chuckled simply. "I don't think it would've. It's not just about a callsign. The similarities between the Galacticans and the Olympians have always been vast. Have you ever read the children's book of scripture that I gave to Laura?"

"Of course." Kara answered. "We used to read it to her all the time. The tales inside were her favorite bedtime stories."

"Then you know what I'm talking about. Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen, built Artemis and Apollo their celestial chariots." Monseau gestured to Tyrol. "Laura's godfather is the mechanic who constructed the Blackbird that you and Major Adama piloted, is he not?"

"I am." Tyrol nodded, looking up at everyone with hesitation. "But I'm just a grease monkey; I shouldn't be compared to—."

"And the Aloedae, the two angry giants that Apollo killed with flaming arrows when they tried to storm Mt. Olympus?" Corporal Venner added. "When the Cylons stormed the ship, you destroyed the last two with explosive rounds, Major."

"And Delos was a floating island that Zeus raised from the dark depths of the ocean, so that his twins could be born." Dee said calmly. "Well, if you view things from a mythical standpoint, Delos could be considered………"

"Galactica." The Admiral finished, speaking for the first time and remembering all the times he had read that book to Laura. "_A floating island where the twins of Zeus could be united with their father._"

"All of these things _could_ be viewed as coincidence. But my life has been spent trying to find symbolism in everything." Monseau sighed heavily and traced the octagonal edges of the book on the table. "And as soon as Laura Roslin pointed me in that direction, I found that nothing was ever going to be symbolic again; because it was going to be _real_………and playing out right in front of me."

"You're taking a bunch of children's stories that everyone learned in grade school and twisting them to suit your view of life." Lee snapped at him. "In the face of all the horrible things that we've dealt with, that we _are_ dealing with—do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"

"That _bunch of children's stories_ is actually scripture that billions upon billions of people have clung to throughout every hardship that man has faced in the last three thousand years, Lee." Adama admonished his son. "Let's not ridicule their beliefs simply because they aren't ours."

Lee at first shook his head, but after pointed looks from both Kara and his father, he reluctantly nodded.

"There is one story that was not taught in grade school; with one passage in particular that mirrors your life." Monseau declared. "It's called the Deliad prophecy."

"I've never heard of that." Tyrol said.

"He's never heard of that." Lee repeated, pointing to Tyrol. "And his father was a priest, and his mother was an oracle."

"And I've read scripture from cover to cover." Kara added. "I've never heard of it either."

"There are very few people that know of its existence." Billy defended.

"Very few groups, and I happen to belong to one of those groups." Monseau told them. "I am an Artemial priest; we pay homage to the celestial huntress. And since she is the goddess of childbirth and young children, we specialize in adoptions, blessings of mothers, confirmations of faith………..virtually anything that you could think of that would have to do with bringing a child into this world."

"That's one of the reasons that Father Monseau was sent over to Galactica on the day that Sharon Valerri died." Billy informed them. "When the Ethereal Dawn found out what the situation was, they sent over an Artemial priest."

"Situations like that are my order's specialty. We deal with the _tragedy_ of childbirth, as well as the _joy_." Monseau added. "Artemis was known for delivering swift and merciful death to women who were languishing in painful childbirth." He looked up at Kara with sympathetic eyes. "Another similarity to your life, I believe. If everything that I've been told about your time on Caprica is true."

Kara's eyes were not sympathetic in return. In fact, they were cold and hard. "We won't be talking about that, Father. Not now. Or ever again."

Monseau nodded when he saw the pain in her eyes and chose to not go further with the topic. "The Cylon died giving birth to Laura. And I gave her last rites so that she could find peace in the next life, because according to the Deliad, she had already played her part in this one."

Kara glanced over to where Tyrol sat beside her, the man's pain at losing someone he loved almost filling up the small space between them. She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but was stopped when a voice finally spoke.

"You said that few people know about this prophecy. Well, why would anyone want to keep a prophecy secret?" Adama asked. "I thought things are prophesized so that we can be prepared for what is to come."

"It was kept secret because people were afraid." Billy admitted. "Afraid of what actually _did_ end up happening."

"On Kobol, paradise was destroyed when one god attempted to elevate himself above all the others." Monseau explained further. "The harmonious balance between gods and man was disrupted, and it led to tragedy and the exile of the thirteen tribes." He looked to his book again. "The Deliad speaks of the destruction of the world by a superior force that looked to one god instead of many. It was erased from the scriptures for that reason."

"Religious leaders have been very gun-shy about anything resembling that ever since." Billy interjected. "To put it in layman's terms, it was deemed heretical because it spoke of monotheism instead of polytheism."

"It was expunged from the general public's knowledge over 1500 years ago. Only clergy know of it's existence, and only certain clergy know what it says." Monseau informed them. "Because it deals with the twins of Zeus, and certain _other_ familial aspects, the Order of Artemis has been championed with the guardianship of this prophecy. I am the only Artemial priest on the Ethereal Dawn. So, at the time of the holocaust, I was the only one that knew of the Deliad."

"Father Monseau was supposed to have been doing a confirmation of faith on the Rising Star the day Laura was born." Billy said quietly. "He overslept and missed his shuttle. He wasn't even supposed to have been on the Ethereal Dawn when the call came in from Cottle."

"No one else would have known what was going on." Monseau sighed. "Any other priest would have listened to Roslin as she talked about her vision and been just as confused as she was. I was the only one that would've been able to understand what she was talking about. I was the only one that knew how to take her vision and put it into black and white."

"What does the prophecy say?" The Admiral asked decisively.

"It says something that you will find familiar, something that President Roslin spoke of greatly." Monseau told them. "Because certain aspects of the Deliad were taken and condensed. They were watered down and made innocuous and included in the Sacred Scrolls; in a book that was written by the same author of the Deliad."

"Pythia." Kara choked out. "You're speaking of the book of Pythia."

"And he's speaking of the Arrow of Apollo, the Tomb of Athena and the dying leader that would lead humanity to salvation." Billy lowered his head and gripped the arm of his chair. "I know that because the information we obtained on Kobol was eventually deemed fruitless, a lot of people thought that President Roslin's visions were fruitless as well. But Laura Roslin was not speaking nonsense; she didn't lead us on a wild-goose chase. She was given a mission, and with a little help, she accomplished it. We _will_ find salvation. It just won't happen in the way everyone thought it would."

"In her prophecy, Pythia wasn't speaking of the Arrow in the Delphi Museum, and she wasn't speaking of the Tomb of Athena on Kobol." Monseau informed them. "They were both just assumptions."

"Why wouldn't they just give it to us straight? Tell us the truth?" Lee whispered.

"It's not about _truth_……..it's about everyone's take on the truth." Billy admitted, looking over at Dee, whose hand was covering her eyes. "Everyone has their own version, and everyone has their own reasons for keeping it under wraps."

"Not to mention, you've read the scrolls," Monseau lifted the book from the table. "How many times have the gods—or those who served them—just come right out and told you what you needed to know? Hardly ever."

"He's right." Tyrol laughed slightly. "It used to drive me crazy when my parents were giving me my scripture lessons. Most everything in the scrolls is told in allegory or riddle. The gods want you to work for it, because otherwise, they don't think you're worthy of the reward that they will give you."

"The life of a person of faith is not merely about the destination, but also the journey. Not knowing what's to come is actually sometimes a blessing, because it allows you to learn what you need to know along the way." Monseau added, he then chuckled. "Besides, the gods are famously known for using us mortals for their entertainment. How entertaining would it be for them to point in a certain direction and have us follow?"

"But the prophecies were gathered after the fall of Kobol, and the people that put them into the Sacred Scrolls were _human_." Lee pointed out. "Why would _they_ want to deceive their fellow mortals?"

"They were _servants_ of the gods." Kara answered, narrowing her eyes in accusation at the priest. "To them, following their will was more important then helping out their mortal brothers."

"That is true. A dedicated servant does not question the will of the gods. We merely have faith that the story will unfold as it is supposed to." Monseau lowered his head. "But, in this case, I actually don't think they were intentionally deceiving you. I think it was just a miscommunication." He glanced back up to them, but paused when he saw the puzzled looks on their faces. "Everyone knew of the Arrow of Apollo; it was one of the few artifacts that were taken on the Galleon during the exodus. And everyone knew of the Tomb of Athena on Kobol; where the body of each tribe's leader was offered to the gods. It's easy to see how they would make the jump in believing that those were the two necessary components."

"The prophecies were foretold in ancient Kobolian, and they were gathered and put into the Sacred Scrolls by people that spoke ancient Caprican, and then 1500 years ago, they were translated into _new_ Caprican, around the time that the Deliad was expunged." Billy sighed, rubbing his eyes in exasperation. "That means they were double-translated. And since the full weight of the prophecy's meaning was hidden from them, it's not unheard of for them to get a few words wrong. And they got at least _one_ word wrong."

"Which word?" Adama inquired in a hesitant whisper.

Monseau locked eyes with Lee. "In ancient Kobolian, the word a_rrod_...means _child_."

"My gods." Someone whispered to themselves.

Kara didn't notice who, her heart was too busy dropping into her stomach. "What?"

"Yeah, it was a pretty important word to be mistranslated. But such is the way it goes sometimes." Monseau sighed and opened the book that he had with him since he entered the room. "The Deliad prophecy speaks of the _Child _of Apollo leading the people to Earth."

"I'm sorry." Tyrol choked out, his eyes wide as saucers. "But are you frakking kidding us with this?"

"No." Dee answered him, looking desperately over at Kara instead. "He's not. It's written in that book. And it has been……for three thousand years."

"Petty Officer?" Monseau passed the book to Billy and gestured for Dee to take it. "Will you read the passage?"

She took in a sharp, but unsteady breath and shook her head. "No, I don't think that I should be the—."

"NO." Lee rasped at her, holding Kara's hand in a death grip. "I want you to be the one to read it. I want you to be the one to tell us the truth." His eyes grew cold and betrayed. "For once."

A tear fell down Dualla's cheek and she looked away, grabbing the book and opening it to the page that she knew well. She began with a trembling voice.

_The Child of Apollo was not born to the god, but entrusted to him. She was born of a lower demon, that which betrayed its family and helped the subjects of the gods through times of crisis, out of love for the child and her father: a noble warrior of the gods who died to keep the child safe._

Kara dropped her head into her hands, and Dualla heard Billy let out a choked sigh right before she read the next part, the one that it always pained him to hear.

_The child was born amongst fear and doubt, and her future was in question. But a dying leader was asked to trust, and though she had no reason to, she believed. She convinced the Olympians to raise the child, because she had faith that the universe would lead them out of their darkness. It was only through this faith that the child would live to fulfill her destiny._

Dualla paused for a moment and looked up to Lee, willing him to understand. She then read on.

_And though he despised that from which she came, the sun god took mercy on the child and claimed her as his own. She would forever be known as the Child of Apollo._

Lee clenched his eyes shut and leaned back in his chair.

_By the sun god's side was his other half: the celestial huntress, a dedicated and beloved servant of the gods, especially her immortal father, Zeus. She was the guardian of the Child of Apollo, going to great lengths and enduring much suffering to retrieve the child from their enemies and bring her to Olympus._

_As a reward for her faith and courage, the barren deity was given the child, and the animal of the stars became her worshipped mother._

"'_the animal of the stars_'" Tyrol repeated, looking at Kara, who had lifted her head again. "That's you, Starbuck."

Kara sucked in a breath as all of the information began to sink in. "Go on." She nodded at Dee. "Tell us how it ends."

Dee looked back down to the page and finished the story.

_The child would grow amongst the gods. And she was beloved and blessed and protected. The child was once two conflicting halves, but through her love for the gods, she became whole. They completed her, as she completed them._

_The enemies that sought to separate her from her family were overcome, ensuring that she would remain with the gods throughout all eternity. _

_But in the final battle for the child's soul, the wise one was struck down. And in gratitude for that sacrifice, the child would help the subjects of the gods find their way out of exile and to salvation._

_When the battle ceased, the oracle took the child to mourn the goddess. There, she opened the tomb and showed her family the way of the true path: the one that led to Earth._

Monseau was the first one to speak. "Laura Roslin was given a vision, and we were led to Kobol for a very specific reason. If we had not found Kobol, there would've been no reason to send Captain Thrace back to Caprica. No reason for her to fly into enemy occupied territory just to retrieve a rusted artifact from the Delphi Museum." He looked at Kara. "But you found something _else_ in the Delphi Museum, didn't you?" He folded his hands in his lap. "Some roads won't lead you to your destination, they'll just lead you to the roads that _will_. And the paths of the four parents of the Child of Apollo converged together on Kobol."

Lee leaned forward in his chair again. "How long have you known this? How long have you known that we were the people that Pythia spoke of?"

"Since the day I met you. Since the day President Roslin brought me aboard Galactica for the first time." Monseau answered sadly. "Since the day Laura was born."

"You've been lying to us." Kara whispered to no one in particular.

"It may seem like that to you now—." Monseau began.

"_Seem_? It may _seem_ like that to me?" Kara hissed. "I _asked _President Roslin. I asked her specifically. She was holding Laura in her lap, she looked me square in the eye, and she _lied_ to me!"

"She told me about that conversation." Monseau admitted. "But everything she told you was true. Love _is_ your daughter's only purpose, Kara. It is only through love that any of this will happen." He lowered his voice and his eyes at the same time. "She still felt intense shame about misleading you, though."

"Then why _did_ she?"

"That's the funny thing about destiny, Starbuck." Billy answered her instead. "Sometimes, when you know what yours is, you'll do everything that you can to try and prevent it."

"Everything in that passage either _has _or _will _come to pass. Laura Adama is the child of Lee and Kara Adama: _Apollo_ and _the animal of the stars_." Monseau told them softly. "That was her only destiny. But it is through that destiny that she will lead us to _ours_. She is the fulfillment of the prophecy--and she will lead us to salvation."

"She's just a little girl." Lee hissed, rising from his chair.

"Except she's NOT." Dee rose from her chair as well. "And I don't just mean that because she grows so fast that she looks like she's a young woman. I mean that we have always known that she was something _more._ We didn't know exactly what she was—."

"Well, some of us _did_!" Lee yelled at her, the hurt showing in his eyes.

Dee stepped back for a moment, but then continued strongly. "We used to ignore that she was different, because it didn't have any effect on the way we loved her, or the way we would do anything for her." Dee let out a harsh sob. "But you _can't _ignore it now. This is the reason she was brought to us……….this is the reason she was given to you."

"STOP!" Lee shouted. "I don't want to hear this!"

"I know it's hard to hear, but—." Monseau started only to be cut off.

Billy—ever the diplomat—stepped in. "Father Monseau? Let's give the Adamas a little time to process this overwhelming information."

Monseau just stood there, gazing at Lee in disbelief. "Why won't you just let this happen?" He pleaded.

"You wanna know why?" Lee whispered back, on the verge of tears as he faced off with the priest. "Because if it's true—aside from the fact that it was pre-ordained from the heavens—there's really nothing special about it. Nothing special about the way we love her, about the way she loves us…….about the way we're a family."

"How can you say that?" Monseau asked with admiration. "The love that all of you have for each other is the most special gift in the world. It's a miracle."

"But it's not us! It's the gods _making_ us feel this way!" Lee shouted. "The gods controlling our minds and manipulating our hearts so that we can………." He stopped as the tears came from his eyes. "……..love a _toaster_."

"No, Lee." Dee smiled sadly. "I never thought I would ever say this to you, but you're giving the gods too much credit."

"The gods may have made it easier, allowed you—allowed all of us—to take the first step." Monseau's voice got quiet and reverent. "But Laura was loved, _is _loved for who she is, not what she will do or what she will become."

"I don't want my daughter thinking that she was just something that we kept around as some sort of map or compass, so that she could lead us somewhere." Lee admitted. "I don't want her to be a means to an end."

"That's why you weren't _told,_ so that she _wouldn't_ be." Billy informed them. "We all love her……….even the one's that knew all of this. But we made a decision early on, and whether it was the right one or not remains to be seen. But we made it because the prophecy would not have been fulfilled if she was just something that we kept in a locked room and questioned until we needed her to point us in a certain direction. This whole thing only works if she grew among us………_as_ one of us."

Kara closed her eyes as she remembered something President Roslin had said to her. _This whole thing only works if you're a family._

"The prophecy will only be fulfilled if she is your _child_." Monseau added. "If she loves you, and you love her……….even though you had no logical reason to whenthis all began."

"And the prophecy _has_ been fulfilled, because you _do_ love each other." Dee spoke with admiration. "And it's time to let this happen, Lee."

Lee looked up to the ceiling and scrubbed his hands through his hair. He then looked to his father, begging for guidance. "Dad……… what should I do?"

Adama looked to the hands that he had been wringing and smiled pensively. "Well, son, sometimes you gotta roll the hard six. And trust that what you've been betting on will pay off."

Lee then looked down at Kara where she sat beside him. "Kara, what do you think?"

Kara looked at him with her eyes glazed over, and took a deep breath. "I think I'm gonna throw up."

Lee's eyes got wide. "Okay."

* * *

"Kara, are you okay in there?" Lee asked through the bathroom door. 

"Oh yeah, I'm just frakking great!" She shouted back.

He knocked. "Let me in."

He heard her laugh. "You mean you _want_ to see me puking my guts up?"

"I want to be with you." He told her softly.

He then heard the lock click and he opened the door. When he entered, he found her sitting on the floor next to the toilet, her back pressed against the wall. He came over to the counter and looked at the mirror, which had a distinct crack in it.

He pointed at the crack. "You do this?"

She nodded. "I had an intense desire to break something. Or kill something, more accurately. But since most of the people I want to kill are either heavenly, omnipotent beings that can't die or humans beings that died thousands of years ago………I guess the poor mirror caught the brunt of my anger."

"What is it with this mirror?" Lee shrugged and leaned against the counter. "You know I think that it got smashed once before too." He paused and looked down at her. "You never did tell me what you thought of all this."

She banged the back of her head against the wall and spoke in a desolate voice. "I never wanted this for her. I wanted her to have a destiny and a purpose that she _chose_. Not one that was handed down to her."

"Yeah." Lee agreed, staring at his distorted image in the broken mirror. "But I guess in light of things, what we want is kinda insignificant."

"Hasn't it always been?"

"You do realize now that we can't let Baltar have any sort of control over her life?"

"Oh…….DUH." Kara hissed, banging her head against the wall again. "Can't believe I let my brain get so clouded that I needed a revelation from the gods to figure _that _out."

Lee sighed heavily. "So I guess Father Monseau was right after all."

"Well," Kara also let out an exaggerated sigh and reached up to flush away the discarded contents of her stomach. "We were right too. Her only destiny _was_ to be our daughter."

Lee started to laugh uncontrollably and she joined in. "We shouldn't be laughing. It's totally not funny."

"I just remember something that you told me a long time ago." He chuckled. "About how when things get weird and tragic, we have to joke about it, we have to laugh about it; because otherwise it would just be too much to deal with. So we wouldn't deal with it, and we'd just shut down."

"And we've got our daughter to think about." She smiled in understanding. "We can't shut down now."

He grabbed a towel and wet it with cold water from the sink, then knelt in front of Kara and pressed it to her forehead. "You want to see if Cottle can give you an anti-emetic?"

"I don't need a shot, Lee." She whispered and then bit her lip. "What I need is to catch a frakking break."

"We've caught enough breaks." He kissed her forehead when he moved the wet towel down to her tear-stained cheeks. "Did you ever think we'd be lucky enough to have this happen to us?" He chuckled again. "To let go of all of our defenses and insecurities and become a family so incredible that we were written about in prophetical texts?"

Kara started laughing again as well. "But I still contend that you were given your godly callsign simply because someone in your flight school saw you naked."

He pushed back the hair from her face and winked at her. "You look like hell, Mrs. Adama."

"But you still love me." She grinned back.

"Always." He stood up from the floor and held out his hand for her. "Let's get Cottle to check you out."

"That's not necessary. I'm not sick anymore, Lee." She took his hand and stood up too. "But I do want to go to sickbay."

He nodded. "As soon as we get back to Galactica, there's something we need to pick up before we go see her."

* * *

"The shuttle is waiting to take you back to Galactica, Admiral." Dee said as she came back into the office and found Adama still seated in his chair. 

"What about Lee and Kara?" He whispered, not looking at her.

"They caught a Raptor twenty minutes ago."

The Admiral stood up from his chair and walked to her, gesturing to the exit. "Shall we?"

She just shook her head sadly and fought back her tears. "You still want to ride in a shuttle with me? You still want to be within fifty feet of me? Speak to me? Look at me?"

He touched her arm gently. "What are you talking about, Anastasia?"

"Please don't call me that." She cried, holding her head in her hands. "Please don't treat me like I didn't just admit that I've been betraying your family for nearly two years now."

"Stop that." He ordered firmly and watched as she complied with the order and came to attention. "You are way too smart a girl to think that way. Actually……I'm quite proud of you."

"Excuse me?" She laughed in disbelief. "Proud?"

"You handled yourself well, with dignity and purpose. I think that anybody else would've had quite a hard time dealing with something of these proportions."

"I _did_ have quite a hard time dealing with it." She admitted, looking at him in awe and shaking her head. "I still can't believe you, how can you still—I mean, after what I did—?"

"You can't betray my family, because I love everyone on that ship like they _are_ my family." He proudly smiled at her. "And you belong on that ship.We wouldn't have been able to get through these past three years without you. I know I certainly wouldn't have."

"You've made me feel like I belonged somewhere." She whispered. "I'd do anything for you, Admiral."

"Then give me some advice." He whispered back.

"I think I'm all adviced out, sir."

"Come on, Dee." He pleaded with humor. "You know I can't go to anyone else and let them know that I'm uncertain of something. People count on the Old Man to have the answer for everything."

Her face softened. "What are you unsure of?"

"What do we _do_?" He closed his eyes. "How do we do this, how do we make sure that she will lead us to salvation?"

"You DON'T." She answered bluntly.

He jerked at her firm response. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you let Laura be Laura." Dee replied. "We love Laura, she is precious to us. And if by being who she is, she leads us to salvation………then that's great. But if she _doesn't_, no one is going to force her to. No one is going to make her be anything that she isn't ready to be. So if she's never ready to lead us to Earth, then so be it. We'll just have to wander the galaxy for all of eternity."

"Just like that, it's that simple?" Adama asked softly. "We're being presented with a way to save humanity. _That's_ not important to you?"

"Not as important as _she_ is. I'm not the godsmother of humanity, only Laura." She answered firmly. "My job is to protect _her_." She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "And you need to know that I would die before I let _anything_ hurt her."

* * *

"Those are my tags." Zak told Laura as they sat beside each other in Kara's apartment on her old couch. 

"I know." She said as she lifted the chain from her neck and looked at them. "Grandpa gave them to me."

He reached over and traced the tags where they rested in her hand. "That was nice of him to do that."

"Yeah." Laura looked back to the window and out onto the view of the parking lot. "The sun is setting. I've never seen the sun set before." She laughed. "Hell, I've never even seen the _sun_ before."

He gently took her hand. "Laura, you know that means it's—."

"Time for me to go." She finished for him, squeezing his hand.

"Good luck." He grinned at her.

"Won't need it." She shrugged.

He chuckled. "And why's that?"

She grinned back at him. "Because despite what you told me, I won't be doing it alone." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "You never do anything alone when you're a family."

"That's very true." Zak replied as he lifted her hand to place a small kiss on it.

"Hey?" She asked without opening her eyes. "Are you _licking _my hand?"

Laura woke up to the feel of a tiny tongue stroking her hand, but all she saw when she opened her eyes was a furry, little creature attempting to nudge her awake. "Hey, Boy." She picked him up as he crawled all over her sickbay bed. "What are you doing here?"

"It's time for you to be up from your nap, little Laura."

Laura looked over in the direction of the voice and saw her parents standing a few feet away. She smiled at them with tears in her eyes. "Hey, Starbuck."

Kara shook her head and moved to stand beside the bed. "My name is _not_ Starbuck." She smiled back, tucking a strand of brown hair behind Laura's ear. "What's my name?"

Laura crinkled her nose. "Your name is Mama."

Kara nodded and pointed to Lee. "And who is he?"

Laura looked over to Lee and a tear fell down her cheek. "He's my father."

Lee came to stand on the other side of the bed and kissed her cheek. "Oh gods, we missed you so much."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She started to sob. "I was just so scared."

Kara kissed the crown of her head as the cat decided to climb up over her shoulders. "Shhh, baby. It's okay. Everything's gonna be alright, because you're with us now."

Laura pulled the cat away from her neck and set him in her lap. "Did you take good care of Boy?"

"Ummm," Lee laughed regretfully. "I think we might have forgotten to feed him for the last week."

"We kinda had our minds occupied with other things." Kara explained.

"HOLY GODS." Cottle croaked out when he opened the curtain and saw the family. "How did, how is this…………?" He came over to the side of the bed, pushed Lee out of the way and took out his stethoscope. "What the hell is going on here?"

Laura just shrugged as he took her vitals. "I decided it was time for me to wake up."

"Can you get the clothes that she had on when she was brought in?" Kara asked the doctor. "We need to take her somewhere."

"LIKE HELL!" Cottle hissed. "She's just now lucid after nearly a week and a half, and she's not going _anywhere_."

"Yeah, she _is_." Lee replied simply. "So unless you're planning on physically restraining us—."

"_I_ won't." Cottle shot back and pointed to the other side of the room where Corporal Wilkes stood. "But that armed guard over there _will_."

"Actually." Wilkes spoke up, walking closer to them. "I'm pretty much gonna let them go wherever they want to go." She looked at Laura, wiped the moisture from her eyes and smiled. "It's good to see you, Laura."

Laura smiled back. "You too."

"Come on." Kara held out her hand for Laura to take. "We need to go somewhere." She then looked at Cottle. "Are you gonna get her clothes or not?"

"NOT. She's _not_ leaving this sickbay." Cottle replied in angry disbelief. "You are all out of your minds!"

"Hey, Doc?" Laura stated as she pulled back the covers and set her feet on the floor. "You might wanna be careful of who you say that particular phrase to." She then pulled off the sensors that had been attached to her temple. "All things considered."

"Well," Lee began helping her out of bed. "Since the Doc seems to be uncooperative with the clothes situation, you'll just have to go in your sickbay gown."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Cottle shouted. "She's _not_ leaving sickbay!"

Laura stood up and walked over to the doctor. "I'm fine, Doc. I realize I was very sick, but I'm better now." She stroked the cat as he rested in her arms. "And I want to go _home_."

"Laura," Cottle whispered. "We don't know what caused you to be that way. You don't remember what you went through—you could _still_ be sick and—."

"I remember. I remember every _second_." She whispered back, smiling gently at him as she shook her head. "That was a very lovely thing that you said when you were sitting with me two nights ago. I know you didn't think I could hear you, but I _did_." She felt a tear fall down her cheek. "You're a sweet man... and I always kinda liked you too."

Cottle slumped slightly. "_Alright,_ you can go. But I still want you to come back tonight, so that I can examine you further and make sure that you're really okay." He saw her nod in obedience and he then looked to Lee and Kara, slightly indignant as he straightened up. "And I'm not a sweet man, I'm a total grumpy bastard."

"Sure you are." Laura replied sarcastically and transferred Boy over to Cottle. "Take care of my cat while I'm gone. And that way, you can be sure I'll come back to sickbay."

Lee wrapped an arm around her and Kara was on her other side, holding her hand. They all walked to the exit, followed by Corporal Wilkes.

"One hour! That's all I'm gonna give you!" Cottle shouted after them. When he heard the hatch close, he glanced down at the cat in his arms, who was staring back up at him. "What the hell are you looking at?"

* * *

"Where are we going?" Laura asked as they walked down the hall. She noticed that everyone they passed took note of her presence. Some stopped and smiled, some stopped and gaped with their mouths wide open, but they all _stopped._

"Flight deck." Kara answered from beside her.

"Everybody's looking at me weird." Laura whispered.

"Yeah." Lee replied frankly. "They are."

"Dad! That's not a very nice thing to say."

"Laura," Kara defended her husband. "You had a mental breakdown, you've been in sickbay for eleven days, you're walking down the corridor in a sickbay gown and you haven't showered in a _long_ time." She turned to wink at her. "Did you think people _wouldn't_ look at you weird?"

"Point taken." She chuckled as they came to the entrance of the flight deck.

They walked inside and the few people that were working late stopped what they were doing when they saw them enter.

Cally stood frozen where she stood for a few moments, and then ran at full speed over to them, a huge smile plastered on her face as she embraced Laura. "Oh my gods! You're here, you're really here." She squeezed her tight, laughing and crying at the same time. "Oh, you have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"I missed you, Cally." Laura hugged her in return.

Cally pulled back in concern. "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Nope." Laura smiled back. "I'm really good."

"Cally?" Lee spoke up, interrupting their reunion. "Where's the Blackbird?"

Cally pointed to the corner of the bay. "She's over there. She's completely powered down though."

Lee walked over to it and Kara pulled on Laura's hand for them to follow him. "Come on, little girl."

Laura started to walk with her, but turned back to Cally. "I'll talk to you later."

Laura and Kara followed over to where Lee was removing the tarp that covered the Blackbird, and they all three stood beside it.

"Do you know the story of the first Blackbird?" Lee asked, looking straight at Laura.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you know who came up with the idea to build it?"

"The Chief." Laura answered.

"Do you know who allowed him to build it, even when he should have shut the project down?"

"Grandpa."

"Do you know who got the engines for it?"

"Colonel Tigh."

"Do you know who wired the engines?" Lee asked, tracing the side of the plane with tenderness.

"Cally."

"And the comm. system?"

"Dee."

"Do you know whose idea it was to skin it with carbon composite?" Kara took over the inquisition for a turn.

Laura took a deep breath and answered in a cracked voice. "Helo."

"Do you know who flew it for the first time?" Lee resumed asking.

Laura grinned. "Mom."

"And do you know who flew it for the _last_ time?" Lee chuckled.

"But helped us win our biggest battle in the process." Kara interjected.

Laura looked at Lee and smiled. "That would be _you_."

Lee walked to stand in front of Laura and took her hand in his. "Do you know who we named it after?"

"The President, same as me." Laura answered, her lip trembling. She then looked around the deck. "What are you trying to tell me, Dad?"

He turned her so that she could fully look at the plane, and he stood behind her. "We all made the first Blackbird, all of us _together_. Everyone had a part in making it what it was and we were so proud of what it turned out to be."

Kara came up to stand beside them. "We were all so lost, and we had a hard time remembering what we were fighting for. But that ship gave all of us a reason to work together to create something. And it gave us hope."

"It was an act of faith." Lee whispered, almost to himself.

"I never thought I'd say this." Kara chuckled softly, gazing adoringly at her daughter. "But there are some things that are better than a plane."

"We were all so proud the day that the Blackbird finally flew." Lee came around to stand in front of Laura. "But I realize now as I'm looking at you—your hair all greasy, dark circles under your eyes, your teeth unbrushed for days and days—that I've never been as proud of anything in my entire life as I am of you."

Laura lowered her head. "You finally know, don't you? You know why I was brought here? You know what I am?"

"Yeah, we know." Lee lifted her chin and caught her eyes again."Do _you_ know what you are?"

"Kind of. Maybe. Not really." Laura bit her lip. "I just know that there is something _to know_ ………something about me that makes me special."

"There are close to a _million_ things about you that make you special." Kara told her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Tell us what to do, little Laura." Lee pleaded softly. "Because I honestly don't know what the right answer is."

"I don't know either, Dad." Laura laughed ruefully. "I don't have all the answers that people seem to think I do. Truthfully, there are really only a few things in my life that I am _absolutely_ sure of. And one of them is that my family loves me." She smiled at them and reached up to touch the wing of the plane. "So you can do anything that you want, and I'll trust that it's what is best for me.We can follow the path that the gods have set before us, or we can go on a different path." A proud tear fell from her eye. "But whatever you decide will be fine with me, as long as you follow your heart. Because I don't have half as much faith in the gods……..as I have in _you_."

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

"Do you love me, Gaius?" Six purred, fingering the curly dark hairs on his chest as she laid on top of him in Gina's suite on Cloud Nine.

"Of course I do." He mumbled sleepily. "Why else do you think I've done all of the things I have done?"

She lifted her head and reached over to turn his face so that he was looking her square in the eye. Once she had his attention, her expression and voice grew harsh. "I'm hoping that you did all of those things because you have a destiny, a destiny that will be enough to pull you from your egomania and lead you to a more selfless way of life." She leaned up and kissed his chin. "You belong to a family now."

"With you and Laura." He stated.

"With the Cylons." She corrected. "Your life will be blended with ours, and it will play in harmony with God's plan; the plan that allowed our daughter to exist in the first place." Six rolled off of him and looked up at the ceiling. "We have waited for her for so long. First—we waited for her conception, and then for her birth. And then these last two years have been like purgatory for us; having to stand aside and watch her live _their_ life with them, knowing that they would try to hide their unrighteousness from her, knowing that they would show her love. Even knowing that she would grow attached to them."

Baltar sat up in bed. "Yes, that………I'm sorry, that always seemed odd to me. The people on Galactica, they……..they actually do _love_ her. But she's a Cylon—the enemy—how could they?"

Six sat up as well and wrapped her arms around his chest from behind him. "She's not a Cylon, she's something much more. Even the humans believe that, which is why they allowed her to stay with them."

He turned his face to look at her. "They think she will do something for _them_?"

"We know more about their religion than they do." She grinned wickedly and nodded, placing a kiss on his bare shoulder. "The prophecies of the one true God and the false gods are remarkably similar. The stories are the same……………. only the _endings_ are different. The humans allowed her to be a part of their family because their gods told them that it would happen that way, they told them that she would lead them somewhere. And she will—but she will show us the way too, and then we will complete the mission we began on the day of the attacks."

"What mission is that?" He smiled a sexy smile.

She laughed at his obliviousness. "Destroying the unrighteous…………… destroying humanity."

"You could've done that a thousand times over." He goggled at her. "The Cylons are a superior force, and you have agents all throughout the fleet. You could've destroyed them at any time."

"Why would we have done that? _They're_ not what we want." She pushed him down so that he was lying on his back again, and she straddled him. "The fifty-thousand people in this fleet are insignificant apart from their destiny to find the last remaining siblings of mankind. Other humans exist in this galaxy and they are as numerous as the grains of sand on the beach or the stars in the sky."

"Earth." He whispered.

"No one amongst us knows its location……..but our child does. This is why she is so important to us." Six leaned down and kissed him. "We will raze humanity into nothingness. Then, and only then, can the new generation of God's children fully come into their own and take their rightful place as God's chosen. And our daughter will be revered by them, and with our help, she will be worthy of that reverence."

"And if she tries to fight us? Our daughter?" Baltar asked, slight hesitation in his voice. "Even if it _is_ misguided, she loves her human family and she may not welcome her destiny to help their enemies. What do we do then?"

"She won't fight us; she is a broken shell of a person. And even though it was indirectly, it was her humanity that did that to her." Six smiled forebodingly. "And once she finds out that her human family has discarded her like a broken machine—much like they discarded the Cylons—and once we put her back together, better and stronger than she ever was with _them_, she will see that she is better off with her own kind."

Baltar sat up, his lusting eyes boring into her as he trailed his hand down her ribcage. "It's only 02:30, I still have several hours before I have to be back on Galactica."

"What time is the meeting with the Adamas?"

"12:00." He answered and then stopped shortly, pulling his hand back. "But then it will be some time, maybe a few weeks, before I can pull enough strings to take her off the ship and bring her to you." He reached up and touched her hair. "I shouldn't even be here _now_. I've been here to see you twice in the last three days. I need to be more careful of my whereabouts so that they don't grow suspicious."

"But you just couldn't resist me, could you?" She smirked and then closed her eyes. "We can be patient. Our family has waited its entire existence for this to come. A few more weeks will seem like nothing, if we get our child out of it."

"You do realize that even though they are signing these papers……..they aren't _giving _her to me, it is only going to give me temporary medical guardianship?"

"It will be enough. Papers don't matter, Gaius." She replied, taking his hand and putting it back on her skin. "It is the _act _that will close the door on their life with her. At noon today, they won't just be signing their names on a dotted medical form…….they'll be _giving up._"

* * *

"Kara? Kara?" Lee whispered harshly to her, waking her up from her sleep. "You're gonna be sore all over tomorrow is you stay in that position." 

Kara sat up from where she was hunched over the arm of the couch and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"02:45." He answered, sitting on the couch next to her and rubbing her back. He then looked over at Laura where she lay asleep in her bed. "She's sleeping really well."

"Out like a light." Kara confirmed. "I keep getting up and checking on her…….." She turned to him and smiled. "But I think she's okay."

He leaned back on the couch and she went with him, nestling against his side. "I can't believe Cottle released her."

"You heard what he said. There's nothing wrong with her," Kara stated, running her fingers in a circle on his chest. "She's exactly the way she was before."

"Maybe not exactly that same." He replied, looking at Kara assuredly. "But she's still our girl. It's good to have her back."

She leaned into his neck and took a breath. "Uh-huh."

"If you're tired, you can go to bed." He whispered, running a hand through her blond hair. "I'll sleep out here on the couch."

"I'm not really tired, but I am going to bed. And you're not really sleeping on the couch." She pulled back and winked at him. "You are aware that we haven't slept in the same bed since Laura got sick."

"We slept in the same bed, just not at the same _time_." He chuckled softly and then groaned in the back of his throat. "And trust me, while I was in our bed before I came out here, I was _more_ than aware of the fact that we weren't in it together."

She disentangled herself from him and stood up, reaching out a hand for him and smiling lasciviously. "Well, let's correct that, shall we?"

* * *

Kara stood in front of the kitchen sink and felt the warm breeze on her face as it came through the nearby window. 

"Did you ever learn to cook, Kara dear?" The blond beside her asked as she chopped the vegetables on the counter.

"A little bit." Kara responded.

"Not at all." Lee responded immediately after from his chair at the kitchen table behind them.

Kara turned around and smirked at Lee. "Please don't answer for me, Lee."

Lee smirked back at her. "Please don't _lie_ to my mother, Kara."

"Fine, I can't cook at all." Kara stuck her tongue out at him. "You happy now?"

Caroline Adama laughed to herself. "With parents like you, how my granddaughter grew to be such a lovely young lady remains a mystery to me." She then looked up from her chopping and glanced at Lee and Kara as they still stood, grinning lovingly at each other. She smiled sweetly and closed her eyes. "Or maybe not that much of a mystery."

Kara turned back to continue to wash the items in the sink and then passed them to Caroline. "You know Laura?"

"Of course, I see Laura just as you see her. I've seen every moment of her life." Caroline replied. "Just as I've seen every moment of yours."

Lee coughed deliberately and Kara bit back a laugh as her eyes got wide.

Caroline winked at Kara. "Alright, there were some moments where I gave you your privacy."

"Good to know." Kara and Lee responded simultaneously.

"She's a good person." Caroline stated simply.

"Laura?" Lee smiled to himself. "Yeah, she is."

"She's one of the 2 percent."

The crinkle formed between Lee's eyebrows and he put his feet on the table. "That one you'll have to explain, Mom."

Caroline turned to look at her son. "It's very simple, Major Adama—."

Kara turned back around and glared at Lee. "Get your feet off the table! What, you think that just because you're back in your mother's kitchen that you're thirteen years old again?"

"As I was saying………." Caroline chuckled as Lee complied with Kara's order. "Really only 2 percent of the population is either all good or all evil. Very few people do good things simply because their hearts are pure. The rest do good for other motives: recognition, validation, because they themselves will benefit either in this life…..or the one after." She took a controlled breath. "Their motives may not be pure, but we've learned to ignore them and accept the outcome, because good is good, no matter what the motives may be."

"And Laura's one of the purely good ones?" Lee questioned.

Caroline smiled proudly. "As if you ever had any doubt."

"Oh, I don't know." Kara snorted amusedly. "There were times when she was a teenager that I had doubt."

"The tricky thing is that evil is the same way." Caroline continued. "It's rare that evil occurs simply for the sake of committing evil, and rare that the person who commits the act does so because they have a black heart. Most often, evil is a by-product of other things: jealousy, greed, selfishness………." She closed her eyes. "And ego; believing that you know better than everyone else."

Kara's voice hitched in her throat. "Oh gods."

"The motives for when someone does evil are harder to ignore, because on the same level………….. evil is evil, no matter what the motives may be." She looked at Kara. "In those situations, sometimes it's worse when the person you're dealing with _isn't_ completely evil."

Lee leaned forward in his chair, starting to grasp what she was saying. "Because you don't see it coming."

"And because they prey upon your weaknesses to serve their own purposes. They prey upon your grief, your uncertainty and desperation." She looked at Kara again. "And they also turn your strengths against you. Like your _love_……..the very thing that is most often used for good."

Kara took a trembling breath. "We think we understand what you are trying to tell us."

"That's good, I'm glad you understand. But you should know that I've been given permission to stop all of this 'dancing around the issue' crap that we've been doing." Caroline grew determined. "So let me make myself perfectly clear: Gaius Baltar does not lay one finger on Laura."

Kara nodded in obedience. "Yes, ma'am."

Caroline looked pointedly at her son. "Tell me you now believe that something greater is happening here, Lee. Tell me that you're listening, that you understand me."

Lee nodded as well. "Yes, ma'am."

Caroline turned back to the counter and looked out the window. "I'm not even saying that to you because she's special, or because she was sent to you by the gods to fulfill some divine purpose." She then looked over at the refrigerator and the two of them followed her gaze. Inexplicably taped on the refrigerator door was a picture of a cat that Laura had drawn when she was little, and scribbled across the bottom in Laura's handwriting was the word BOY. "I'm saying that because she's my family…………..and you _seriously_ don't wanna mess with my _family_."

* * *

"Hey." Lee said the next morning when he exited the bedroom and saw Kara sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee. "How long have you been up?" 

"A while." She answered, but at the same time, held up her index finger to her lips and gestured back to where Laura was still asleep in her bed. "I don't wanna wake her up, she's still really tired."

"Cottle kept her in sickbay until midnight." Lee reminded her softly. "That takes a lot out of a girl."

Kara lowered her head and reluctantly began to try and test his memory of the last night's events. "I wonder if anyone's told Doctor Baltar that Laura's been released."

"Yeah, I wonder." He sighed, trying to test what she remembered too. He walked over to the counter and looked at the plate of food that she had laid out for him. "Did you cook this?"

She immediately looked up at his question. "No. I got it from the mess." She smiled slightly at him as she sat up straighter in her chair. "What a dumb question, Lee, you know that I can't cook."

He grabbed the plate and sat down at the table across from her, he then took a bite while trying to seem non-chalant. "So……… have any interesting dreams last night?"

With that, she groaned and dropped her head down to the table with a loud thud. "FRAK."

He sighed heavily. "Yeah, I feel the same way."

"I cannot believe that I almost—" She lifted her head again, but leaned it into her palm. "I've always had a little voice in my head telling me that I'd eventually screw everything up, but of all the mistakes that I might've made……….that would've been the one that I could've never forgiven myself for."

"We almost made the mistake together," He corrected her. "It wasn't just you."

"I practically had to twist your arm off, Lee!" She hissed at him, shivering and wrapping her arms around herself. "Baltar had me so confused, so unsure of myself that I almost convinced us to give Laura to him! Gods, just the idea of that makes me sick to my stomach."

"And how do you think I feel?" He responded gently. "I know what it used to take for the both of us to trust people, to believe in them—and ourselves. And I now see what a wondrous thing it is for us to be this open and love someone so much that we'd do anything for them." His finger had been steadily pounding the table as he spoke. "Baltar took the thing that I love most about our family and made it perverse. But he's the bastard here, Kara. Not us. We almost made a mistake, but it was a mistake that we almost made _out of love_………..not just general frak-uppery." He smiled sadly. "Does that ease the sting a little?"

"The sting will be eased plenty when I put a bullet through the good doctor's brain." She told him, clenching her hand against the table.

"We can't do that, Kara."

"Why the frak not?" She shouted, slamming her hand down on the table. They both looked behind them as Laura stirred in her bed, but didn't wake up.

"What exactly would we say?" He calmed her. "That we had a dream where we helped my long-dead mother make dinner in her long-obliterated kitchen, and she told us that there were two kinds of evil people in the world? And because of that, we want Dr. Gaius Baltar—_genius of our time and savior of the fleet_—to be executed?" He snorted to himself. "Even I have a hard time believing it, and I _know_ that it's true."

"Baltar is still under the impression that we're gonna sign those papers!"

He chuckled ruefully. "Well, at least _we're_ not under that impression anymore."

"So what do we do?" Kara pleaded.

"What do you do about what?" Laura interjected groggily as she sat up in bed.

"Hey, little girl." Kara turned around to face her. "Dad and I were just talking, but go back to sleep. We'll go into the bedroom."

"No, its okay, I'm up now." Laura assured them as got out of bed, came over to the table and took a seat in the chair between them. Yawning, she reached over onto Lee's plate and grabbed a slice of his bacon. "What were you guys talking about?"

"You." Lee answered simply.

"My favorite topic." She put the food in her mouth and smiled. "What specifically?"

Kara took a trembling breath and put her elbows on the table. "Do you remember anything about when you got sick—or about _why_ you got sick?"

Laura swallowed with a gulp. "No." She replied in a whisper. "I don't remember anything at all."

* * *

"There has to be something." Lee pleaded with Cottle as he and Kara stood in sickbay, looking over Laura's test results. 

"But there isn't." The Doc told him. "I never let a single test slip by, I was constantly checking her blood work to see if there was any kind of toxin or hallucinogen or drug in her system that would cause the kind of psychotic break that she had. And there never was, only the medications that we gave her. There is also nothing in her blood work _now_ that would tell me why she has _come out_ of her psychosis."

"But Baltar gave her some of those medications, didn't he?" Kara asked.

Cottle sighed heavily. "I'm still having a very hard time with your accusation." He informed them. "Why would Baltar want to do anything to hurt Laura?"

"Because he's a bastard that wants control of her life?" Kara shot back harshly.

"I still just……..you didn't see him when she was sick. You were too worried about her and caught up in your own grief, and I don't blame you for that." Cottle responded gently. "Now, he's never been my favorite person—squirrelly little son of a bitch if you ask me—but he worked diligently, obsessively, and around the clock to try and find a way to help your daughter."

"Which just might prove that he's more of an evil genius than we'd ever imagined." Lee muttered. "Just answer our question: Did Baltar give her any of her medications?"

"Yes, you know he did, you _saw _him give them to her." Cottle answered. "But they were approved medications from my sickbay, and there was always a nurse that took note of those medications and logged them in Laura's chart."

"Which nurse?" Kara asked softly.

Cottle looked down at the file in his hands. "Nurse Watson, and before that………..Nurse Coaker." He paused for a moment and looked back up at them. "That is, before she—."

"We know what she did to herself, Doc." Kara whispered sadly.

"I trusted them both implicitly." Cottle said bluntly. "Neither one would do anything to hurt Laura." He saw Lee rubbing his eyes in frustration and softened slightly. "What does Laura say happened to her?"

"She doesn't." Kara replied quietly. "She says she just got sick."

Cottle gave them both a sympathetic look. "Laura is different from us, we've always known that. But because of that, we don't always know what's going on in that body and mind of hers. I also gotta tell you, I know I'm just a nuts-and-bolts army doc, but what Baltar was saying in terms of her diagnosis makes a lot of sense."

Lee looked up at him. "We can't get over how we feel, Doc. I know it doesn't seem logical—."

Cottle cut him off. "Not a whole lot of things about this have ever seemed _logical_." He exhaled loudly. "I'll keep looking for anything that will give us any clues."

Kara and Lee nodded in gratitude and began to make their way out of sickbay. But then Kara glanced over at a nearby desk, to something that was taped up on the wall next to it. She grabbed Lee's hand and stopped his exit, pointing to the object that had caught her attention.

It was a familiar drawing of a cat, and on the bottom, in Laura's handwriting, she had written the word BOY.

"Doc?" Lee shouted, calling him back to where they stood. "Where did you get that?"

Cottle looked at the picture he was pointing to and then back to Lee and Kara. "It was Kathryn's—I'm sorry—Nurse Coaker's. Laura gave it to her a long time ago. And when I went to her quarters to pronounce her death, I saw it there, so I brought it back here to sickbay."

"So this picture was Nurse Coaker's?" Kara whispered, repeating what he had said. "And Laura gave it to her?"

"Yes." Cottle replied, looking at her with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Lee answered, looking to Kara as well. "As a matter of fact, things might be falling into place."

* * *

Four hours later, Baltar walked down the hall to the conference room and entered to find Lee, Kara and the Admiral already there and seated at the table. 

"Good afternoon." He said to them, causing Lee to stop whispering in Kara's ear and lean back from her, and causing the Admiral to go rigid in his chair. He made his way into the room and stood at the head of the table. "Before we go any further, I just want you to know that I took some time last night, went off on my own for a bit, and thought about the situation that we are all in." He nodded to himself and looked at them with compassion. "My heart would absolutely be breaking if I was in your position, but I also want you to know that my position is heartbreaking as well. I never wished to see Laura in the condition that she is in now—."

"Well," Kara cut him off, gesturing to the other door that Baltar had not entered through. "She's outside, if you wanna see her condition _now_."

"Outside?" Baltar gulped, his blood turning to ice water in his veins. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"My granddaughter's made a miraculous recovery," The Admiral smiled coldly at him as he watched Baltar struggle to breathe. "Isn't that wonderful?"

Lee took the small stack of forms on the table in front of him and moved them down to where they were in front of Baltar. "We have your medical forms for you."

With trembling hands, Baltar picked up the papers and lifted the cover page, glancing down at the bottom of the next page. "They're not signed."

"Wow. Can't get anything past you, can we?" Kara chuckled before her face grew harsh. "You're right, they're _not_ signed."

"And they never will be." Lee finished.

"You know, there are a lot of words that I've used to describe you over the years, Doc." Kara told Baltar, staring at her hands where they rested in her lap. "Ninety percent of them were not-very-nice words. But there is one word that I never thought I'd ever be able to use in regards to you: _stupid_." She looked back up at Baltar. "If you ever thought that you would get away with this? If you ever thought that something or somebody wouldn't catch on to what you did or what you were trying to do? If you ever thought that you would actually get a hold of our daughter? Well then, _stupid_ is the only word I can use to describe you."

"I haven't done _anything_, nothing except try to help your daughter." Baltar told them firmly, regaining his deceptive nature, placing his palms on the table and leaning forward. "The hysterical ramblings of a sick child are not enough—."

"Hysterical ramblings?" Lee repeated, stopping Baltar. "You mean Laura? Laura hasn't told us anything about you."

Baltar paused and stuttered for a moment. "Well, of course she hasn't. There is nothing to tell." He shook his head and got an indignant look on his face. "Then what might I ask has got you on this insane tangent of accusing me of………….what exactly _are_ you accusing me of?"

"Of making Laura sick so that you could manipulate us in our vulnerable state into giving you control over her life." Lee answered simply.

"Why would I do that?"

"Maybe you're a Cylon." Adama rasped. "Who knows? It's not like that frakking Cylon detector's ever been of any use to anyone while it was in your hands."

"Or maybe you're just evil, we don't really know that either." Lee added. "But we do know that we trusted you to help us, and that was our mistake. But now you need to trust us when we tell you………….one way or another, we will find a way to correct our mistake. And when that happens, you'll pay for every wrong you've ever done in your entire pathetic life."

Baltar stepped back from the table. "You have absolutely no proof."

"No, we don't have proof……….yet." Adama confirmed as he stood from his chair. "Which is why you aren't going out the airlock…………_yet_."

"But there is something that you can do to help Laura." Kara informed Baltar. "You can stay the hell away from her, as far away as you can possibly get."

Adama came to stand in front of him. "But just in case you don't feel that you can comply with that request, we'll make it easy for you." His voice changed to a low growl. "Get the hell off my ship."

"You're throwing me off Galactica?" Baltar whispered in disbelief.

"Well, _throwing_ is such a strong word." Lee snorted. "You're still a quite popular man, and it might not go over so well if we put you in our brig. So that means the only place we'll be throwing you is into a luxury suite on Cloud Nine." Lee's eyes then twinkled. "But we do hope you enjoy the suite………..because we'll have armed marines guarding the door, making sure that you never leave it."

* * *

Baltar walked out of the conference room with a burly marine trailing behind him, but then he saw Laura sitting in a chair against the wall about twenty feet down the hallway. 

She looked up and saw him too. She then rose from her chair and started to walk to him, he walked toward her and met her halfway until they stood in front of each other.

"Hello, Doc." Laura smiled sweetly.

"Hello, Laura." He replied cautiously. "It's good to see that you're feeling better."

"Yeah, that is amazing, isn't it?" She chuckled softly, lowering her head to look at the floor. "Doesn't look like I'll be having any more lessons with you, though."

"No, it certainly doesn't seem that way." Baltar snorted. "Your parents seem to think—."

"This has nothing to do with my parents." She interrupted him, shaking her head. "_I'm_ the one that never wants to set foot in your lab again."

He froze for a moment before giving her a forced smile. "Any particular reason?"

"Yes." She answered quite simply. She looked over to the side of the hallway. "You know, maybe that whole 'low-latent inhibition' thing that you diagnosed me with wasn't _complete_ bullshit designed to manipulate my family……… because I really do think I have some of the symptoms. I _do_ view the world differently now." She looked back to him. "You see, my whole life, I've always known that there were things that I unconsciously ignored because I couldn't really make them out, couldn't really see them clearly. Blurred images and distorted voices floating around the edges of my existence. But I guess something in my head must've got knocked into place with all that you did to me, and suddenly…………… _everything has come into focus_."

"Laura, you were very sick, whatever you think you—."

"Do you think I didn't see the blond woman standing next to you all those times?" She asked him harshly. "Do you think that I don't now hear the words she spoke to you as clearly as you heard them?"

"My gods." Baltar uttered in fear under his breath.

"Gods? As in plural? I thought you believed in the one _true_ God." She mocked him. Her eyes glinted and she grew determined. "I want you to know that I am _not yours_. I never have been, and I never will be." She gestured to the conference room. "I'm theirs. And they gave me the strength to fight this, to fight _you_."

He smirked arrogantly at her. "You couldn't possibly have enough strength to fight this, Laura."

She chuckled at him. "That's the great thing about family, Doc. I won't be doing it alone." Her face then fell and she grew thoughtful. "But I actually want to thank you, Doc. I was very confused and very uncertain about the choices I would have to make. But as it turns out, _you_ actually made the choice that will lead to yourdestruction _very_ easy for me to make."

He remained silent for a moment as the beads of sweat formed on his forehead and he looked to the conference room. "What are you going to tell them about me?"

She shrugged. "Nothing."

He nearly choked. "Why nothing?"

"Because if I tell them what you did to me, they'll kill you." Laura answered, coming very close to him. "And as lovely as that would be, that justice isn't nearly as poetic as what you have coming to you." She reached up to straighten his tie. "Go tell your girlfriend that her God screwed up. I'm making a change in his plan."

Kara, Lee and the Admiral all walked out of the conference room and saw them talking.

"Laura?" Kara called out to her, nervous at her close proximity to Baltar. "Come on, let's go."

Before she turned and walked to her family, she spoke to him again. "And one last thing…………. you shouldn't be proud, because you had absolutely nothing to do with me being amazing."

* * *

Three days later, Six walked down the hallway to the Cloud Nine suite that Baltar had been put in. The guard looked her up and down, noting her scant and provocative attire, but he did not speak. 

"I've come to see Dr. Baltar. I've been sent from the fifth level." Six smiled at him, referring to the section of the ship that the prostitutes operated out of.

"Another one?" The guard responded gruffly. "He already had one of you in there yesterday."

Six took a deep breath to try and control her rage. "Did he?" She seethed.

The guard snorted. "Well, it's not like he's got anything better to do." He knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"YES!" Baltar voice shouted through.

The guard opened the door, Six walked in cautiously and saw him.

He sat in a chair, clothes in disarray—both on his body and flung across the room, body unwashed and unshaven, and a half-empty bottle of liquor in his hand. He looked up at her and exhaled loudly. "Oh, just lovely."

"I haven't heard from you in three days, Gaius." She went to kneel in front of him. "I thought that I would've at least heard from you, seeing as how we're on the same ship now."

"Oh!" He hissed at her, getting up and stumbling from his chair. "So you've _noticed_ that I've been exiled and locked in a guarded room!"

"Of course I've noticed." She hissed back. "I was informed. Not by you of course……" She added through clenched teeth. "But by someone else."

"Who?"

"Another agent aboard Galactica." She told him, finally standing up again and looking at him. "Another model who was there in case you……..in case you—."

"Failed?" He shouted at her, throwing the bottle against the wall, shattering it. "I didn't fail, your God did! Your God and his frakked up plan for universal domination!"

"Shhhh, now is not the time for this, Gaius." She came over to him, soothing him. "It will still happen, there is another way to retrieve our daughter. The back-up plan has already been implemented, but you and I must be there when she is led to us." She ran a gentle hand down his face. "I know you feel discouraged by what the Adamas did to you, but they cannot stifle your destiny. We are in this together. Forever."

He grabbed her hand from his face and yanked it away. "It wasn't the Adamas. It was '_OUR_' daughter, she is the one that has '_stifled my destiny_'!" He laughed maniacally. "She knows everything, remembers everything—." He pointed at Six in accusation. "_Sees_ everything."

Six's face and body trembled in fear. "How is that possible? She can't possibly—."

"Nothing is impossible in the presence of God, darling!" He mocked her, throwing her past words back in her face. "And the impossible has happened. She is gone from you. Gone from _us_, I guess—since I now have no hope of ever extracting myself from your poisonous clutches."

"No, Gaius." She cried to him. "That's not true. Surely you must feel—."

"Oh, I felt it alright." He interrupted her again. "For the first time in my life, I truly felt that there was something strong enough to finally give me the comeuppance that I've had coming to me for a long time. And I felt it radiating from Laura when she was telling me that she had never belonged to us." He lowered his head. "I believed her, and you should believe her too."

"There is a way." Six repeated desperately as she moved away from him. "God's plan can still be carried out, it has to be."

He strode over to her and grabbed her fiercely by the upper arms. "This is my life! And your frakking God's plan has frakked it up beyond repair! It. Is. Over."

She numbly shook her head. "No, it can't be. It was promised to us by God. And that promise must be kept, Gaius!" Her voice broke as she held her head in her hands.

He looked at the woman that he had loved for over four years and was overcome by sympathy and compassion. He came over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "You have the Colonies under Cylon control. They're yours and humanity is never going back to them. You've won, take your victory and move on."

"Humanity is a cancer infecting the universe." She mumbled to herself despondently. "It can always come back. There is no victory unless you eradicate it completely."

He pulled back from her in disgust. "I've heard all of this before, and I don't think its any more true than when you told me that your God is infallible. Clearly, your God CAN be wrong, since not much of this has happened the way he said it would." He shook his head in defeat. "The Cylons can move on from this. What difference would it make to them if a fugitive fleet of humans were to find a new home thousands and thousands of light years from where you are?"

"You don't understand, you've never understood, Gaius! How could you ever really understand _anything_…….. if it doesn't directly affect you!" She sneered at him. "Our entire _existence_—all that we have been given—rests on the fundamental principle that God is love, that he is _perfection_. That everything he's ever promised us will come to pass!" Her eyes were frantic as she continued. "If his will is not carried out in this instance, it will prove that he is not perfect. And everything will fall apart. Cylons will begin to rebel against order, question their new lives, question what we've done, and question whether our past acts were righteous or not. Cylon culture is based upon total obedience, if we don't have it, life as we know it will cease and we will disintegrate into chaos."

"I know you don't see it now." He kissed her forehead softly. "But perhaps that is a good thing."

She wept openly. "Gaius, NO. There is still a way."

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her, his lips ghosting over her hairline. "I can't do it. It would be different if you and I _actually did_ have some sort of noble destiny, but we _don't_. You're just a broken machine, and I'm just the broken man that loves it." He looked into her eyes. "And I really must be broken, because I do love you."

"Your family will suffer if you don't help them." She whispered.

"The Cylons are not my family." He answered honestly. "I only let myself believe, only let you lie to me all these years. I belong to no one. I'm nothing but a bastard that betrayed his own race and caused the death of billions of people. And I know that I can never be forgiven for that." He closed his eyes and a tear fell out the side. "But I won't do it again. No matter how much I love you."

She raised her hands and placed them in his hair. "Oh, Gaius. I love you so much. My whole life has been about you, and I've never once regretted that." She kissed his lips and smiled adoringly. "But you're right…….. _it is over_. You've lost faith." She pressed her hands further into his hair and grasped the sides of his head. "And you've broken my heart."

She snapped his neck in one swift move and let him fall to the floor like she was freeing a dead weight that had been hanging around her neck. She looked down at him for a moment, then stepped over his lifeless body and walked to the door.

She opened it and pressed her finger to her lips in a silent gesture when she saw the guard. "He's asleep. And he told me that he doesn't want to be disturbed." She giggled, closing the door behind her. "He didn't last very long, guess my friend yesterday must've wiped him out. Either that or he's just not cut out for this kind of thing, which is funny based on everything that I've heard about him."

The guard laughed too and shook his head. "Yeah, he never seemed like much to me. I've always wondered what all the fuss over him is about."

She smiled thoughtfully. "You know, I'm starting to wonder about that myself."

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

"Laura Karla Adama, spoiled brat and destroyer of my sanity! I swear to the gods, if you don't get out here—!"

"Give me a minute, Mom!"

"NO, I will not give you a minute! You've had lots of minutes!" Kara shouted back, hastily pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "Get out of the bathroom, NOW! You know very well that this is my first day back teaching since you got sick and I'm not gonna be late just because you couldn't get your act together this morning!"

"Kara?" Lee said calmly, walking out of the bedroom. "Will you ease up?"

"Nope." Kara shook her head as she went about cleaning up the breakfast table. "I've given her a very wide berth these last couple of days since she's been home. I've been so glad that she's better and back with us that I haven't asked her to clean up any of her stuff, I let her win _every single hand _of Triad that we played even when my cards were so good it would've made you cry, and I've played gracious hostess as practically every Galactica crew member has come by in the last three days to welcome her back—."

"Yes." Lee interjected with an affable smirk. "You've been an absolute Hestia."

She stopped what she was doing and smirked back at him. "Now, don't call me that, Lee. Not when I was just getting used to the idea of being _Artemis_." She threw in a wink for good measure and put the last dish in the sink. "I've been sweet, I've been charming, I've been understanding………and now I'm sick of it." She stood up ramrod straight and buttoned the last button on her uniform jacket. "So I'm looking forward to being tough-as-nails Starbuck for a couple of hours; making some nuggets shake in their newly-issued boots, and generally just being kick-ass."

Lee chuckled. "That is, if you can get our daughter out of the bathroom."

Kara groaned and turned back to the bathroom door. "Laura, I am frakking serious about this! If you don't—."

Before she could finish her threat, Laura came out of the bathroom holding her cat, worry wracking her posture. "He's still sick."

Kara looked back at the now-vacated bathroom. "_That's_ what you were doing in there?"

"Yeah." Laura sighed, stroking Boy behind his ears.

"Why were you in the _bathroom_ with Boy?"

Lee let out a loud exhale and answered Kara's question. "He likes to sleep in our bathroom sink."

"This place has been absolutely overrun by craziness." Kara rolled her eyes in amused disbelief. "Must be why I feel so at home."

"What am I gonna do?" Laura asked desperately. "He's sleeping all the time and I can't get him to do anything."

Lee narrowed his eyes. "How is that different from how he usually acts?"

"I'm serious!" Laura replied in exasperation. "He's been like this for a couple of days now."

"Sweetheart, he could just be tired. I mean, we hadn't feed him while you were sick, so he got weak, and then he's probably just worn out from playing with all those people that came to visit you." Kara reached over to stroke Boy's head. "Just give it some time."

"I'm taking him to Cottle." Laura went over to her bed, deposited the cat on it and got her stuff together.

"What's Cottle gonna do?" Lee asked in response. "He's a human doctor, not a veterinarian."

"He can at least look him over!"

"Can I be in the room when you try to convince Doc Cottle to do a thorough check-up on your _cat_?" Kara laughed. "Because that would be highly amusing."

Laura turned to her mother with a heartbroken look on her face. "_Mom_."

That look made the laughter cease instantly. "I'm sorry, baby." Kara sat on Laura's bed and took Boy in her lap. "Maybe it's something he ate?"

"Your bear's eye!" Lee almost shouted. "He could've swallowed it, it could be—ya know…….jammed somewhere."

Kara got confused at the statement. "Um…… what?"

"Her bear." Lee pointed to the toy bear on the bed that President Roslin had given Laura when she was a baby; that was now only sporting one black-glass eye. "I noticed yesterday that it's missing one of its eyes."

"Um…….no." Laura stuttered out. "That just fell off………. he didn't eat it."

"Do you still have it? I could sew it back on for you." Kara then paused. "Or ya know—find someone who can _actually sew_ to sew it back on for you."

"I don't still have it." Laura avoided eye contact with them. "It fell off and then I accidentally stepped on it. It totally shattered and I had to throw it away."

Lee gave Kara a strange look and she just shrugged in return. "Oookkkaaayyy." He whistled. "I gotta go or I'm gonna miss my Raptor."

He walked to the door, but before he opened it, Kara came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest and kissing his shoulder. "Where are you off to today, Major?"

He leaned back against her as her breath teased his neck. "Pegasus, this time." He answered simply.

She let go of him and moved away slightly. "We might be becoming slightly obsessed about this, Lee."

He turned around again. "Yeah, that really doesn't bother me." He scrubbed his hand over his face. "We have to find something on him, we've been trying for three days and we haven't been successful so far. It's like someone or something has been covering the man's tracks."

"Actually, we don't have to _find_ anything on him." Kara corrected firmly. "We just have to _kill_ him." She saw him shake his head at her, but continued without pause. "It doesn't have to be an execution, make it look like an accident if you have to."

"_Kara_."

"He's working with the Cylons, Lee. You have to believe that now." She whispered, wary of Laura on the other side of the room. "The veil has been lifted when it comes to Baltar and I now see him as he truly is. All the knowledge that he has about Cylons; its _firsthand_ knowledge."

"That's why I'm going over to the Pegasus." Lee gently squeezed her upper arms. "The Cylon prisoner they had aboard, the one who escaped? Baltar must've had something to do with that, and I'm gonna find out what happened." He kissed Kara before pulling back again. "And then we'll have proof, and the entire fleet will know exactly what he is. And then the last thing Baltar sees before we throw him out the airlock is gonna be _my face_."

* * *

"Thank you for meeting me." Adama reached out a hand. 

The priest took it and smiled slightly. "I was a little surprised by the invitation." Monseau replied. "I thought perhaps after our meeting on Colonial One, you might not want to have anything to do with me."

"My children may need a little more time, but all is forgiven by me. I understand the concept of keeping secrets to protect the greater good." Adama informed regretfully as he sat in a chair in his quarters and gestured for the priest to take the opposite one. "Although, you should know, when _my_ secret was revealed, my family was nearly torn apart as a result."

Monseau only nodded. "I've always found it comforting that you have such a broad definition of family."

Adama narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"The way you said 'my children' and 'my family' just then." Monseau smiled genuinely. "I used to hear people talk about 'Adama and his family', and it never fully registered until I met you that they were talking about more than just your son."

"I never took family very seriously before, Father." Adama sighed, adjusting his glasses from their perch on the bridge of his nose. "I was too focused on my career, my ship—to even make very much time for my _actual _relatives. And on the few occasions that I did make time, it was solely to impose _my_ view of what they should be on them."

"Fathers want their children live up to the best of their abilities." Monseau added sympathetically. "But it often comes at the price of not really noticing what their true abilities _are_."

"When I was finally jolted into returning to my family, it was too late." The Admiral closed his eyes. "One of my sons was dead; the other one wouldn't speak to me, and their mother's heart was broken."

"I see."

"So yes, I guess you could say I don't take a literal view of what constitutes a family." Adama chuckled slightly. "Since for a long time, I took family where I could get it."

"That makes for an interesting diversity, though. A family with many different people who have very specific talents." Monseau pointed out. "Also makes it easy for you to rule your kingdom, you just rely on the person who is strongest in the skill that you need right then."

They were silent for several moments, and Monseau could hear the Admiral's breathing get deeper and more controlled until he finally got up the courage to speak.

"What is your plan for Laura?"

Monseau smiled. "I don't have one."

"No plan to make sure that she fulfills her destiny?"

"No. And if there _is_ a plan, it is not mine. And while I know the basics, I have no knowledge of its specifics." The priest replied. "But I do know that it only works if she _chooses_ to fulfill it."

"But you are hoping that she _does_."

"I'm hoping that the will of the gods is carried out, seeing as how I am their servant." Monseau corrected. "And I'm hoping that the actions the other people in Laura's life will take, the sacrifices they will make………..will not be all for nothing."

The Admiral leaned forward in his chair. "What specifically are you referring to?" He asked, slightly confused.

"The last part of the passage." Monseau answered simply.

"About the Child of Apollo showing her family the way to Earth?"

"About _where_ the child would go to show them…………….about _why_ she would show them; the battle, the sacrifice." When he finished his sentence, Father Monseau looked up to see a very confused Admiral sitting before him. Looking at him like he had no idea what he was talking about.

And he finally noticed something that he had missed when he walked into the Admiral's quarters: a dark fog floating in the Admiral's eyes.

Something that prevented him from putting the pieces together.

"I don't understand, Father." Adama told him honestly.

"You don't…….." Monseau sat forward in his chair as well. "What do you remember about the passage from the Deliad, Admiral?"

Adama took a heavy breath and leaned back. "That Laura was the fulfillment of the prophecy, that she would show us the way to Earth."

"Nothing about anyone else?" Monseau asked hesitantly.

"The allusions to Lee and Kara being Apollo and Artemis." Adama chuckled. "Which I can see, considering that I have often viewed the two of them as squabbling siblings."

"But nothing else?" Monseau whispered in disbelief.

"No." Adama shook his head. "What else is there?"

Monseau lowered his head when he finally understood what was happening. '_Of course they would forget the instant they heard it. If they knew, they'd never allow it to happen. Leave it to the gods to cover every angle.'_

"There is no specific plan, Admiral." Monseau replied, laying a soothing hand on his arm. "Everything will play out as it's supposed to, without any prompting from us mere mortals. We're not going to _make sure_ that Laura does anything except live a blessed life, and if that life allows the fulfillment of the prophecy, than we will give thanks. But no one is going to force it upon her."

Adama smiled. "That's what Dee says."

"Petty Officer Dualla?" Monseau repeated meaningfully.

"Yes, I've been speaking to her at length about Laura and the situation that we find ourselves in." Adama told him, but then paused slightly when he saw Monseau examining him warily.

"You've been speaking to _her _about it?"

"I realize you wouldn't know it by looking at her. You'd think that she's such a quiet, unassuming little woman, but I've actually gotten quite a bit of guidance from the young Petty Officer over the years. There's a lot of fire in those green eyes."

"You don't have to convince me of the attributes of Dualla, Admiral." Monseau assured him. "I've spent quite some time with her, and I've always thought that she seemed quite…………_wise._" He smiled thoughtfully, letting the word sink in. "Even President Roslin seemed to think so."

"Yes." Adama nodded. "I don't think I could've made it through these last few years without her. She seems to understand better than almost anyone, the struggles that I have within myself."

"The two of you are very like-minded."

"She knows how to pull me back when I'm making myself crazy." Adama chuckled softly. "And how to push me when I'm not making myself crazy enough."

"Again, it's all about family, Admiral." Monseau informed him, looking to the book of scripture in his hand. "Major Adama is the child of your body, while it seems to everyone that Captain Thrace is the child of your soul. And they are both undoubtedly the children of your heart."

"Yes." Adama nodded again. "That is true."

"You have your Artemis and Apollo. Well, perhaps Petty Officer Dualla is the child of your mind." He paused and looked back up to Adama. "Almost as if she sprung from your head……….._like Athena herself_."

* * *

"Come in!" Adama shouted through the hatch of his quarters a few hours later. 

It opened to reveal Laura and Corporal Townsend standing outside. "Hey, Grandpa." She smiled at him before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

He stood up from his desk and walked over to her, brushing the hair from her forehead and hugging her. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"I've come to abuse the privileges of being the Admiral's granddaughter." She grinned sheepishly. "I need you to requisition a Raptor for me."

"What for?"

"I need to go to the Greenleaf."

He shook his head and walked back to his desk. "I don't want you leaving Galactica."

"I know you're concerned about me, which is why I'm asking for my own Raptor and not just catching the shuttle." She pleaded, going with him to stand in front of his desk. "Please, Grandpa? It's important."

He took off his glasses and sat down in his seat. "What could be so important that you have to go _right now_?"

"Boy is sick. Even Cottle could see that." Laura told him. "But Cottle has no idea what to do with a sick cat, so I thought I'd take him back to Mrs. Knowlton, see if she'd have any idea how to make him better. And she lives on the Greenleaf."

He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "_Laura._" He rasped warningly.

"Come on, Grandpa." She lowered her head and her voice. "You know how much I love that cat."

"Alright." He grumbled, sitting back in his chair. "Someone would have to go with you."

"Gee, really? Even eleven days in a psychotic stupor wasn't enough to make me _stupid_." Laura rolled her eyes. "I _know _that someone would have to go with me."

"Your mother's teaching all day, I've got a meeting with four ship's captains to talk about water re-circ abilities, and your father's still traipsing about the fleet for some unknown reason. None of us has time to take you."

"I realize you're busy, but it _has_ to be today." Laura pleaded. "I'm really worried about him and I don't want him to get any sicker."

He looked up at her and gave her a placating smile. "We'll find someone."

* * *

Dee walked out of CIC to find Lee Adama walking towards her. She turned around to see if there was anyone else behind her that he could be walking to, but it was just her. She stood up a little straighter and prepared for the worst. 

"Hey." He said, finally looking into her eyes.

"Hey." She said back quietly.

"I just spoke to Dad." He told her.

Dee nodded. "I've been speaking to your father a lot these last couple of days." She replied sadly. "As a matter of fact, he's the _only_ one in your family that's been speaking to me."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

"I'm _trying_, alright. You've had a lot longer to come to terms with this than--" He looked away from her. "What do you want from me, Dee?"

"Nothing." She answered honestly, trying unsuccessfully to hide her agitation. "I'm trying to give you your space. I haven't pushed you to listen to me, or see my side of things. I've even stopped myself from trying to smack any godsdamn sense into you……which is quite frankly something that you deserve!" Her rant stopped and she got quiet again as an intense sadness flashed in her eyes. "I haven't even been to see Laura since she—."

"She misses you." Lee cut her off. "Laura misses you. And Kara says I'm acting like a five-year old who's had his feelings hurt." He laughed ruefully. "Which she also says is a behavior I've refined into an art form."

"I know it's not easy for you, Lee." Dee assured him firmly. "But I want you to know that it wasn't easy for me either."

"I know that. Gods, I know that." He whispered. He scratched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "Listen—I need a favor."

"Anything." She answered without hesitation

"Do you think you could take Laura to the Greenleaf?"

"Yeah." Dee answered, again without hesitation. "I'm off-shift now."

"I wouldn't ask except Laura's cat is sick and she wants to take him to the woman we got him from, to see if she can do anything to make him better." He explained. "Dad and Kara are busy, and I'm just here for a few minutes to check in with CIC, because now I have to go to Cloud Nine to see Dr. Frakweasel."

"Baltar?" Dee asked worriedly. "Why do you have to see him?"

Lee stepped closer to her and lowered his voice. "He _made_ Laura sick, we're almost positive. And we think he's been working with the Cylons all along. But every road I've gone down in an attempt to prove it has been a dead end……. and _I've had enough_." He started to step away from her. "So, I'm bound and determined to get some answers from the man himself."

She stopped his retreat. "And what are you gonna do if he doesn't want to give you those answers?"

He grinned menacingly. "I'm not sure, but I'm thinking some metal wire and shards of broken glass will be involved."

Dee laughed at him. "Have fun."

He patted her arm. "Laura will meet you on the flight deck in an hour to catch the Raptor to the Greenleaf."

"I'll be there." She smiled as he began to move away again.

But he stopped again when he was a few feet from her. "Dee?"

"Yeah?" She responded cautiously as he turned around.

His face grew serious, concerned and very father-like. "It's just, you knew……..you knew what was going on before. Do you know……..do you have any idea what's gonna happen next?"

"No." She smiled slightly, but sadly. "I really don't have any idea."

* * *

"Laura? Psst. Hey, Laura!" A voice called out to her. "Come up here, would ya?" 

Laura unhooked her belt and got out of her seat in the back of the Raptor. She made her way toward the cockpit—and the sound of the voice—and realized that as she passed them, neither Dee nor Corporal Townsend took notice of the fact that she wasn't sitting beside them anymore.

She came to the front and stood between the two pilots navigating the ship.

"Press that for me." Helo told her, pointing to a button on the control panel.

She complied and immediately felt the vessel accelerate beneath her feet. "Whoa." She breathed out.

"It's cool, isn't it?" Sharon chuckled on the other side of her.

"Really cool." Laura smiled at her in response.

"Here's something else that's cool." Sharon said, gesturing to a screen in front of her.

Laura leaned in and took a closer look. "The dradis screen." She grinned, recognizing what she was being shown. "Mom and Dad explained it to me. I've always liked it."

"I can see why you would." Helo commented.

"Why?"

"Because on dradis, everything is just little blobs of energy." Sharon answered for him.

"There are no preconceived notions." Helo added. "The dradis doesn't see a 2,000 megaton freight ship with a 20ft steel-plated hull. All it sees is its energy trace."

"A blob here, a blob there." Sharon continued, pointing to the spots on the screen that represented ships. "They're really not so scary when you see it like that."

"And no matter how sure you may be of something just by looking at it………… dradis sees what's really there." Helo smiled at Laura. "Because even with a steel-plated hull—you can't hide _energy_. You see things as they really are, so then you can look past all the bullshit—."

"Don't cuss in front of her!" Sharon admonished playfully, smacking his knee. "Gods, like she doesn't get enough of that from Starbuck."

Laura loud out a loud burst of laughter at the comment.

Sharon turned to Laura, still chuckling. "It cuts through all the obfuscation, all the confusion."

"And then you can see if it's a foe……. or a _friend_."

"Just little blobs of energy." Laura repeated, looking to the parents that she had never met. "That's what _they_ did, isn't it?"

"Who's 'they'?" Helo chuckled.

Laura rolled her eyes and grinned wider. "Them……..the ones that………I don't even know how to describe them. The ones who—."

"He knew who you meant, Laura." Sharon shook her head in amusement. "He's just playing with you."

"They made everybody look at me like they were looking at a dradis screen." Laura continued, smiling in wonder. "So that they were able to look past the Cylon and see—."

"Your little blob of energy." Helo finished for her, nodding in confirmation.

"You're such a good girl, Laura." Sharon smiled proudly, touching the dogtags that dangled off Laura's neck as she leaned over slightly to view the panels. "It'd be a damn shame if no one ever got to see that……._simply because they were afraid_."

Laura's eyes moistened with tears and she bit her lip. "Thank you."

"For what, sweetheart?" Sharon asked, tucking a strand of hair behind Laura's ear.

"I don't know." Laura shrugged. "Creating me, having me, giving me to my family so that I could have the life that I've had."

"We don't need to be thanked for that, Laura." Helo assured her, taking her hand in his. "After all, that was our greatest accomplishment."

"Laura? Laura?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake and she opened her eyes to see Dee standing over her, holding Boy in her arms. Laura looked down and saw that she was still buckled into her seat in the back of the Raptor.

"We're here, Laura." Dee smiled at her. "We've docked on the Greenleaf."

"Yeah, time to get off, little girl. Free ride's over." Racetrack shouted back at her, grinning widely. "I just got a priority-one call to the Zepher and you're cutting into my flight time." Racetrack then looked at Dee. "I'll be back for you in two hours."

Laura unbuckled herself and rubbed her eyes. "How long was I asleep?"

"Maybe five minutes." Dee answered, moving toward the open hatch and stepping down onto the deck. "You were fast asleep by the time we left Galactica, though."

"Yeah, out like a light the second your head hit the back of the chair." Corporal Townsend laughed as he hopped off as well. He held out his hand for Laura to take, but saw her hesitation. "You ready to go, Laura?"

Laura stayed at the edge of the hatch for a moment, but finally sucked in a deep breath and took his hand. She stepped off the Raptor, landing right in front of Dee. "Yeah, I'm ready." She looked at her godsmother meaningfully. "Whatever's gonna happen……….. I'm ready now."

Dee just held her gaze for several moments, and then nodded.

* * *

"I love the ocean." Laura Roslin sighed dreamily, looking out at the vast expanse in front of her. 

"I can see that." The Admiral grumbled, standing beside her.

She looked over at him. "What? Don't you like it here?"

"No, it's not that. It's very lovely." He replied, looking down. "It's just—."

She narrowed her eyes. "Just?"

"My pants are getting wet." He chuckled. "You couldn't have dressed us more appropriately?"

Roslin then looked him up and down before taking notice of her own clothes. They were standing knee-deep in the middle of the warm water, about twenty feet from the shore. And yet, Adama was dressed in full duty uniform and she was in a buttoned down business suit.

"Oh." She giggled breathily, lifting her foot out of the sandbar to see that she even had heels on. "Sorry about that. It's just—."

"Just?" He laughingly repeated her previous question.

"It's just that I've never seen you in anything other than some sort of uniform." She answered with a grin. "So I guess even though we're at a beach, I just couldn't conjure up the image of the two of us in swimsuits."

"Yes." He returned the smile. "But this is _my_ dream. Aren't _I _in control?"

"Oh, Bill." She clutched her chest as a wave of laughter came over her. "Sometimes I still find it funny that you _ever_ thought you had _any_ control when it came to you and me."

When she winked at him, he let out a loud guffaw.

He looked around him at the beautiful landscape: clear blue sky with a yellow sun standing strong and high in it, crystal blue-green water spread out for miles in front of them, and an immaculate, white-sand beach behind them. "I feel like I should know this place."

"You _do_ know this place." She assured him.

"But that's just the thing…………..I _don't_ know it." He retorted. "It's very familiar to me, very significant. And yet, I don't think I recognize it."

"You don't recognize it because you've never been here before." She informed. "But it's familiar and significant to you because it will become a permanent fixture in your life." She turned to look at him meaningfully. "On this date, every year for the rest of your life, you will come here. And you will grow to love this place almost as much as you love your family."

"My family." He whispered to himself.

She turned away from him for a moment. "I have a question for you, Bill."

"I'll try to answer it, Laura."

She turned back to face him squarely. "Do you know where Dr. Baltar is?"

He was taken aback by the question, but answered quickly. "Dr. Baltar is in a guarded suite on Cloud Nine."

Her expression turned mischievous. "Huh. While _technically_ that's true…………that's _not _really where he is anymore."

For a moment, he thought he was getting agitated. But with one simple touch of her hand on his shoulder, his worry dissipated. "Do _you _know where he is?"

"Not personally, because he is most definitely _not_ where I am." She answered. "But I do know that there is a special kind of hell for people who intentionally hurt children." Her eyes twinkled. "Dr. Baltar and Captain Thrace's mother will be spending a lot of time together."

"So……. you took care of Baltar." He stated, understanding that the man would no longer cause them any trouble.

"Baltar took care of himself; we didn't have to do anything." She corrected. "His end was fitting, and he had only himself to blame when everything came full circle."

Adama nodded.

Roslin reached into her pocket and pulled out a sheet of full sized octagonal paper. "I have something to show you." She unfolded it and handed it to him.

He looked at it and saw that it was a printout from one of Galactica's message interface computers:

**The father has betrayed us, and it is a great loss to our cause. But we must move on with our mission. And if you have completed your task, the ground work will be set. **

**You have done well, Number Four. Now we must trust that God will make sure she is at the agreed upon location at the right time. **

**We have one more battle left. The child will come to us, and her soul can still be ours. But we will have to fight for it.**

"Where did you get this?" Adama whispered.

"The message was sent to Galactica this morning."

"Laura is in danger?" He asked quietly. Again, for some reason, his demeanor was completely without fear and concern.

"No." Roslin shook her head. "She _is_ in a dangerous situation, but nothing will happen to her. We have someone who will make sure of it."

"Then why did you show this to me?"

Instead of answering the question, she turned her head away and asked one. "Do you remember that Athena is the goddess of war?"

"I think anyone with a first grade education remembers that."

"Yes." Roslin agreed. "But what most people don't recall is that she really wasn't much of a _warrior_. And while she was _involved _in all of them, she actually took what could be considered an _inactive _role in most of humanity's conflicts." She smiled proudly, but it was tinged with regret. "Athena never really went after the glory that could be achieved by war. She preferred to keep a calm and level-headed objectivity and to stay away from the passion and fury that came during battle. Because of that, she was able to clearly see what many lost sight of in the haze of war. So instead of being the hero herself, she used her most prominent gift…………..her _wisdom_…………to _guide_ the heroes and the warriors to victory. To bring them safely home."

Adama's eyes slowly fell shut and the paper fell out of his hands down to the water below.

_In the final battle for the child's soul, the wise one was struck down…………..._

_You don't have to convince me of the attributes of Dualla…………I've always thought that she seemed quite……………wise._

_I was hoping you could now impart some of the wisdom……………_

_Perhaps Petty Officer Dualla is the child of your mind………….almost as if she sprung from your head…………like Athena herself._

_The Arrow of Apollo will open the Tomb of Athena………………._

_When the battle ceased, the oracle took the child to mourn the goddess…………._

Adama's eyes snapped open again, remembering everything. "My gods."

"One more question, Bill." Roslin asked, taking his trembling hand and wrapping it in hers. She tugged on it gently until he looked into her eyes. "Do you know where Petty Officer Dualla is?"

"Admiral? Admiral Adama?" The intercom buzzed and Gaeta's voice cut through the haze of sleep. Adama lifted his head off the back of his chair and reached for the handset next to his desk.

"Are the ship's captains early, Mr. Gaeta?" He asked gruffly, looking at the clock. "The meeting wasn't supposed to start for another ten minutes."

"No, sir, it's not the meeting." Gaeta informed him. "Major Adama is on the line for you, an urgent call from Cloud Nine."

"Patch him through."

There was a click and Adama could hear Lee's rapid breathing. "Dad?"

"Son, what's going on?"

"Baltar's dead." Lee said with no other emotion besides concern. "His neck was snapped like a twig. Medic says he's been dead for about six hours."

"How?" Adama nearly shouted. "How is that possible?"

The Admiral could tell by his harsh breathing that Lee's anger was pointed somewhere close by. "Shoddy security." Lee seethed through clenched teeth. "We're partly to blame too, because we didn't tell them any specifics about why he was in here. They were more focused on keeping Baltar from _leaving_ the room that they allowed two women _in_. Both women were searched, and they both claimed to be from the fifth level—."

"Godsdamn prostitutes." Adama interjected. "The guards never stopped to think that someone could be _impersonating_ a working girl?"

"The last woman that was let in—when I questioned the guard, the description he gave me………. matched the description of—."

"Of what?"

"The Cylon prisoner on Pegasus that escaped." Lee sighed. "The model that Kara fought with on Caprica, the one that disappeared from Galactica after accusing Baltar of treason."

"My gods." Adama whispered, rubbing his eyes.

"Whatever you do—stop Laura from getting on that Raptor."

"She's already gone." The Admiral choked out.

"What? The Raptor wasn't scheduled to leave for another ten minutes."

"The Greenleaf sent out an all-ships communiqué, informing us that there would be a massive unloading of supplies on their hangar bay in between 1300 and 1400, and to halt all traffic between those times." Adama rubbed his eyes. "So I gave permission to launch the Raptor early. She left with Dee nearly twenty minutes ago."

"Frak." Lee hissed under his breath.

The room began to spin and the Admiral closed his eyes as understanding deluged him. _She left with Dee……………_

Adama felt as though his heart stopped beating. And standing there—in his quarters—he could almost feel the warm blue water lapping against his calves. He gripped the phone tighter in his hand and opened his eyes to look across the room.

Laura Roslin was standing there, looking back at him.

"I'm sorry it had to happen this way, Bill. I'm so very sorry." Her voice trembled as she spoke. "But you can't stop it now."

"Son?" Adama shouted in the handset, never breaking his gaze from Roslin. "We have to find them."

The fear in Lee's voice could not be hidden. "We know where they are. Just send out a message to the Gree—."

Suddenly, the sentence was eclipsed by a loud, piercing screech coming from the phone.

Adama dropped it out of his hands like it had scorched him, but then picked it up again. "Lee? Lee, can you hear me?"

"Admiral Adama?" Gaeta's hurried voice came in over the intercom. "Admiral Adama, we need you in CIC immediately."

Adama didn't respond, but just ran out of his quarters at a frantic speed.

* * *

He entered CIC to find everything in chaos. 

"Fix it!" Tigh shouted. "We can't have ships all over this fleet not being able to talk to each other!"

"Sitrep!" Adama shouted, causing everyone to momentarily look up before going back to their tasks.

"Something is emitting a high-frequency signal out into the fleet." Gaeta informed him, uncertainty and fear echoing in his words. "It's jamming all external transmissions……..and it's clouding the dradis."

"Where's it coming from?" Adama shouted over the confusion.

Gaeta paused as he reread the panels in front of him. "US." He rasped. "The signal is coming from Galactica."

"I've sent out an all-ships bulletin, sir." The coms officer informed the Admiral, holding her headset at arms length, attempting to escape the high-pitched wail it was emitting. "But no one is responding………communications is worthless."

"So is dradis, sir." Gaeta added.

"No messages in or out. No dradis." Tigh turned to look at Adama, who stood there frozen in fear and disbelief. "We're deaf and blind."

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: I apologize profusely for the long delay in the posting of this chapter, but my real life doesn't seem to understand that I have important fanfic writing to do. Stupid real life.**

**Anyway, hopefully when you read this you'll see why it took so long for me to finally get it done.**

**Thanks.**

**00000000000000000000**

"I don't get it."

Kara rubbed her eyes and let the breath escape her lungs in a loud hiss. "Imagine my surprise."

"Can you go over it again?" The nugget asked her from his seat in the third row.

"NO." She screamed loudly, lowering her hand back to the podium. "I've already been over it four times!"

"You look like you don't feel well, Captain." A second nugget spoke up.

"I _don't _feel well. I'm tired, I have a headache……and I don't like to frakking repeat myself!" She yelled and then lowered her voice to where it was just an angry growl. "You say you '_don't get it'_? Well, get _this_!" She pointed at him. "You don't do what I'm telling you to do and you'll end up a puddle of bloody goo in your cockpit. It doesn't matter if you '_get it_' or not…………. just frakking do it!"

The second nugget cautiously spoke up again. "Captain, it's just—."

"Fine." Kara groaned, uncapping the marker resting on the podium. "I'll go over it again, I'll even explain it to you like you're a four year old who's asking why it's not okay for you to put your hand on the stove—instead of _officers in the Colonial Fleet_." She turned around and began to inattentively write on the whiteboard. "Follow these incredibly simple and self explanatory rules and you'll be fine."

She turned back around to total silence and saw the confused faces of the trainees looking back at her.

"I don't get it." The first nugget repeated.

"Man," Another nugget kicked the back of his chair. "Are you _trying_ to get us bitch-slapped across the room?"

"What?" He replied, turning around to face his classmate. "I don't get it."

"WHAT ?" Kara shouted, still not looking at what she'd written on the board as she pounded the marker on the podium. "What don't you get?"

The second nugget came to the first nugget's defense. "With all due respect, Captain. I don't really understand what that means either." She pointed to the board. "It's just four letters."

"What are you talking about?" Kara shook her head in puzzlement, but then turned around to view what she had written.

The only thing written on the board was four bold and capitalized letters that she didn't remember writing: **MARS.**

"Is that an acronym for something?"

"What?" Kara examined the board as if she was seeing it for the first time. "No, it's not an acronym. I don't remember writing this." She started to turn back to them, her voice tentative and weak. "I don't know what it means."

When she was facing the room again, she caught sight of something in the back toward the hatch that made her gasp and drop the marker down to the floor.

Leoben was there, his face and body covered in sweat and blood, just like the last time she'd seen him. "You have to leave now, Kara."

"Leave?" Kara repeated in a raspy whisper.

He nodded. "You have to go NOW." He smiled at her, but it didn't make her feel troubled or afraid like it did before. This time, it put her at ease. "She'll be safe, but only if you find her right away…….. This is my gift to you, Kara."

Kara took off out of the room, exiting the hatch and leaving a class full of confused nuggets in her wake. She started at a dead run, and was so focused on making her way to………she didn't even _know_ _where she was going_—that she turned the corner and slammed into the Admiral. He was jolted back, but held onto her upper arms to steady her.

"Where is she?" Kara pleaded, gasping for breath when she recovered. "Where's Laura?"

"How did you—?" Adama halted the question on his tongue and shook his head. "It doesn't matter how you know." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Laura's on the Greenleaf."

"I have to go get her." Kara shouted, trying to move past him.

His jaw clenched. "You can't. Not right now."

"Don't tell me I can't!" She replied angrily, moving away from him. "That's my child!"

"You don't understand, Kara." He stopped her, his voice echoing uncertainty. "There's some kind of malfunction with communications and dradis. You're not able to _go_ anywhere."

"No, _you _don't understand." She hissed back, _her_ voice echoing determination. "It's not up for discussion………I'm GOING. And no _malfunction_ is gonna stop me."

**0000000000000000000**

"Dee? There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Yeah?" Dualla responded as she and Laura walked down a hall on the Greenleaf, followed closely by Corporal Townsend. "What's that?"

"Well," Laura began, purposely avoiding eye contact with her godsmother as she gave most of her attention to the cat in her arms. "I'm remembering something that Baltar once told me—."

"Well, there's your first problem." Dee interrupted, laughing slightly. "You need to _forget_ everything he ever told you."

"Well, I'm just remembering it because it goes along with something that _you_ once told me."

"Really?" Dee looked surprised.

Laura's brow furrowed. "Well, no, actually." She shook her head. "As a matter of fact, it _contradicts_ what you said."

"Okay."

"But…….and I can't believe I'm actually saying this…….I think that _Baltar _might be right about this." She admitted sheepishly.

Dee halted their walk and quirked up an eyebrow, giving a small smile. "Elaborate, please."

Laura took a deep breath. "He told me once that destiny was not something I could fight. It was something that I must accept and come to terms with, but never escape, because my destiny was greater than I was."

Dee nodded. "That's one way of looking at it."

"But not your way." Laura stated, reading Dee's face like a book. "I know that for a fact, because you've told me so. You seem to think that I have a choice in the matter; that I would have to _choose_ my destiny in order for it to be fulfilled."

"Yeah." Dee answered simply.

"Well, I didn't think it worked that way." Laura shrugged. "I mean, if someone has a destiny—hasn't the choice already been made? Hasn't the path already been laid out before them? Thousands of years beforehand, in my instance?"

Dee didn't answer for a moment, and Laura could see that she was deep in thought, trying to come up with the right answer. Finally, she let out a long exhale. "Frak it. Gods, I wish you weren't so damn smart."

"Well, I am. Get over it." Laura sighed as well, but it had a twinge of humor to it. "And answer my question."

"If you're going by the exact definition……… _Baltar is right_." Dee confirmed reluctantly. "Destiny is greater than just one person, but then that means it's also greater than Gaius Baltar. Destiny is an all-encompassing word that breaks the boundaries and barriers of the known and understood. It doesn't fit any _one_ definition. And that's where people like Baltar fall short, Laura." She reached out to pat Boy's head and he only made a small purring sound. "They can't look past the confines and set rules of the universe long enough to see the bigger picture."

"So try to show _me_ the bigger picture, Dee." Laura pleaded.

Dee looked over at Corporal Townsend, who just shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"The universe can bend its own rules. It took me a long time to figure that out, but everything that's happened in the last few years has shown us that. _Destination_ is not the sole purpose of _destiny_, little girl." Dee assured her softly. "And you can be set on a certain path, but unless you make certain choices along the way, you'll never get to the end of it."

"Kinda like this hallway." The corporal chuckled lowly.

"Destiny is not just about reaching a certain point; it's about who you are when you get there." Dee then closed her eyes. "And that's _always_ up for you to decide. Everyone has a choice in that matter."

"Even you?" Laura asked gently.

Dee opened her eyes in surprise at the question, but nodded. "Even me."

"I don't believe that." Laura shook her head. "I don't know exactly what's gonna happen, but I know you didn't _choose_ your path, Dee."

"It wasn't easy." Dee whispered, looking her straight in the eye. "But that's _exactly_ what I did."

Laura's eyes moistened slightly. "But your path is going to lead you to…….." Laura took in a sharp breath and covered her eyes. "I can't even finish that thought."

Dee touched Laura's hand and pulled it away from her face. "Then don't."

Laura grew intensely determined. "There has to be another way……another way that _I _can do what I'm supposed to do without _you _having to—."

"There could be." Dee told her, reconciled in contrast. "But I'm not willing to go on some insane quest to find it. Not when the futures of everyone I love are hanging in the balance." She began to walk again. "Because Baltar's right, this is greater than just me. I've accepted my destiny and I've come to terms with it. And now you need to respect me enough to trust that I know what I'm doing. I was given a choice…….and I made it."

Laura stayed where she was and called after her. "I don't think I can let you do that."

Dee stopped when she reached the end of the hallway and turned back around to face her before knocking on the door. "Then it's a good thing it's not up to you."

**0000000000000000000**

"Kara!" The Admiral shouted down the hallway after her, Gaeta striding beside him, as she made her way to the pilot's duty locker. "You can't be serious."

"I'm very serious." She uttered firmly as she looked back to them and opened the hatch.

"Starbuck," Gaeta began, looking over to Adama and entering the room behind her. "It's not that we don't understand your need to go find Laura…….but I know you understand what I told you. The signal has to be affecting the entire fleet. We have NO dradis to tell us where the ships are, we have NO communications to get in contact with them to give us their position. And with no coms, they won't even know you're coming, which means they won't know to activate docking and landing procedures—and the Greenleaf wasn't built for combat landings."

Tyrol had come in the room in the middle of Gaeta's speech and stood by the door, but he made his way inside and placed a helmet on the bench in front of her. "What we're trying to say is that you'll be all alone out there."

Kara looked at the three men in front of her; she stripped out of her pants and jacket until she was standing in just her tanks and shorts. She yanked open her locker and took out her flightsuit.

"Ya know," She started. "There was this joke that the pilots and crew on Galactica would make in the months after the attacks—I guess they must have realized that Lee and I had something special between us, even before we did—because the joke was this: _What's it gonna take for Starbuck and Apollo to stop fighting long enough to fall blissfully in love, settle down and have a family?_" She stepped into her gear and drew the zipper up to her neck. "And do you know what the punchline was?"

Only Adama shook his head that he didn't know.

"_A frakking miracle._" She answered flatly.

A small smile twitched on the Admiral's face, even though it wasn't that funny. Tyrol and Gaeta—the one's who had already known about the joke—looked away in embarrassment.

A small smile was on her face too as she fastened the last of her buckles. "But somehow, Lee Adama and Kara Thrace have taken a Cylon/human hybrid baby and raised her as their own, loving her like they've never loved anyone in their lives. That's the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard, right? So it has to be a joke, right?" She grabbed the helmet and came up to her father-in-law. "But it's not a joke; it's just a _frakking miracle_. That's what made us a family, sir. We've come this far……. and whatever higher power is out there……..isn't going to give up on us _now._" She then looked at Tyrol. "I WON'T be all alone."

She walked out of the locker room and was so intent on getting to the hangar that she didn't notice that the Admiral had been with her the entire time. He spoke to her softly. "I know you want to find her, I want to find her too. But, Kara, this was _intentional_. It's not a malfunction—it's sabotage. And we don't know what you'll find when ….._if_…… you get to that ship. We need to be cautious about this. Because as it stands right now, you have no plan other than '_Find Laura'_……. and that is just crazy."

She nodded, but kept on walking as she spoke out the corner of her mouth. "Parents do crazy things when their children are in danger, happens all the time. And me flying blind over to another ship is not nearly as crazy as, oh let's say……….opening up the fleet to a Cylon attack, damaging a third of the fighter squadron and using up nearly half of the fuel reserves just to search a barren moon that my child may have crash landed on."

Adama stopped dead in his tracks at her comment and laid a hand on her arm, stopping her as well.

She turned to face him. "I know it's crazy, and I know you're just worried about _me_ as well, but _do not_ start lecturing me about using caution when the people you love are in danger." Her eyes moistened and she shook her head. "I'm sorry sir, but it would just sound hypocritical coming from you."

She walked away again and Adama stood frozen until he saw Gaeta and Tyrol jog past and followed her to the hangar.

Kara walked to her Viper and took the clipboard that Cally held out for her, making sure that everything was in order. "Clear it."

Tyrol clapped his hands together and started shouting for the crew to get everything set up. "Okay people, let's go, let's go!"

Kara climbed into the cockpit, Cally climbing the ladder after her, and she noticed that Cally's hand shook as she gave her helmet to her. She glanced up to see that the specialist had a look of absolute trepidation on her face, so Kara took her shaking hand and squeezed it. "Everything's gonna be okay, Cally."

Cally just bit her lip and descended the rungs to the flight deck below to continue doing her job.

Kara locked eyes with the Admiral as she powered up her systems. "It will be, I swear. I just gotta get to the Greenleaf, then Lee and I will go find Laura and Dee. And everything will be okay."

The Admiral's only response was a nod.

"How do you know that Major Adama is going to be there? How can you be sure he even knows _to go_ to the Greenleaf?" Gaeta asked her hesitantly, looking over at the Admiral.

"Because that's where our daughter is and because that's where _I'm _going to be. And come hell or high water, Apollo and Starbuck always end up in the same place." They started to lower her canopy. "Gods, Gaeta, haven't you been paying attention all these years?"

She put on her helmet and gave everyone a thumbs-up before they wheeled her to the launch tubes.

When she was finally launched, the Admiral and Gaeta made their way back to CIC while Tyrol, Cally, and a new deckhand stared at the vacant spot where Starbuck's Viper had just been.

"Man," The new deckhand muttered, shaking his head. "No dradis, no coms……..and she really thinks that she can make it to a specific ship even though she has no clue of it's position…….using what, _sheer nerve_?"

Tyrol nodded. "Sounds about right."

"She's just gonna get herself killed." He continued. "Nobody could do that, it's virtually impossible. She won't get it done."

Tyrol looked annoyed over at Cally and pointed to the deckhand. "Is he new?"

Cally rolled her eyes. "Civilian transfer from the Callisto…….yeah, he's new."

The Chief shook his head and walked away.

"Seriously," The deckhand spoke to Cally. "Nobody's that good. Just who the hell does she think she is?"

Cally turned to him. "You ever read much scripture?"

His eyes got wide, but he shook his head. "No, not really."

Cally moved to where she was inches from his face. "Then shut the hell up."

**00000000000000000000**

"Dualla!" Mrs. Knowlton stated happily when she opened the door to see Dee and the marine standing there. "This is a wonderful surprise." She stepped back and allowed Corporal Townsend to walk in the room.

"I'm surprised you remember me." Dualla responded humbly, coming inside. "I really only came over here a couple times with Laura."

Mrs. Knowlton smiled. "Of course I remember you."

"Sorry for the unannounced visit," Townsend said. "But you understand that it's safer if you don't know that we're coming."

"I understand completely, Jason." She nodded and smiled again. "It's fine, not much going on here anyway."

"You don't mind if I sweep your quarters?" Townsend asked, beginning to walk around with his gun drawn.

"No, not at all. I remember the drill." She gestured around, but pointed into the next room. "But be careful of the far corner in my bedroom where the closet is, Archimedes and Isis just had kittens a couple of days ago." She laughed. "That's where I've put them, and new parents can be fiercely protective of their children."

"They had kittens?" Laura asked, moving from off the side in the hallway and finally stepping through the door.

Mrs. Knowlton turned around and stood frozen when she saw Laura standing before her. She gasped slightly, but then let out a soft laugh and her eyes glistened. "My, who is this lovely young woman standing before me?"

Dee looked between them and shook her head in shame. "That's right; it's been awhile since you've seen her." Dee brushed a hand through Laura's hair. "Sometimes it's hard for the people who see her everyday to remember how different she can look to the people who _don't_."

"Well, she may look like a different person." Mrs. Knowlton made a big show of examining Laura thoroughly. "But, yeah……she's still the same Laura."

Laura laughed and then grinned. "It's great to see you again, Mrs. Knowlton."

"Laura, you're practically an adult now." She smiled back. "I really wish you'd call me Maya."

**00000000000000000000**

Lee piloted the Raptor feeling like someone had thrown a blanket over his head. He actually had to turn off the com system, seeing as how it did nothing besides emit an eardrum-shattering shriek. And he was virtually ignoring the dradis screen, seeing as how it was now just a screen of solid white light.

He commandeered the Raptor he had ridden over to in, ordering the pilot to stay behind when he had offered to come with him. _"This is my insanity; nobody else gets hurt because of it."_ Lee had told him before he flew out of Cloud Nine's shuttle bay.

Lee looked out the window again and cursed for about the hundredth time. He futilely smacked the console in front of him. "Frakking machines! Never realize how much they control your life until they decide NOT TO WORK!"

He had only been in the Raptor for about five minutes, but all he could think of was the many things that could go wrong before he found the Greenleaf, so it seemed like an eternity. And all the frakking passenger carriers looked alike to the naked eye.

He only hoped Kara was having better luck getting there.

Just as Lee was making his third trip around the section of the fleet where he thought he remembered the Greenleaf's last coordinates—and thinking that the gods must have a twisted sense of humor—something about a ship he was passing caught his eye, and he was jolted by a memory.

"_Daddy, come on! We have to be there right at 14:57!" _

"_Laura, where are we going?"_

"_Mama said it was a surprise." Laura giggled as she dragged him down the corridor on the Greenleaf. "She said she felt bad that she couldn't come to my school's art show, so to make it up to me, I needed to be on the Greenleaf's port side at exactly 14:57!"_

_Lee looked at his watch and grinned. "Well then we better hustle."_

"_Ethan! Charlotte!" Laura screamed back at her friends who were trailing behind as they looked at all the drawings on the wall. "Come onnnnnnn! It's almost time!"_

_Lee glanced back to see the two children take off in a run._

_The four of them came to the hallway on the portside of the ship at exactly 14:56:47. "Well, we're here." Lee breathed out heavily, looking down at his daughter. "What are we looking for?"_

"_Help me up, Daddy." Laura ordered looking out a window, lifting her arms for him to pick her up. He did so and she settled into the windowsill of the nearby square window. She then motioned for him to do the same for her two friends and he picked them both up and set them next to her. _

"_Square windows, huh?" Lee chuckled. "Little unconventional for a ship, most of the windows are round or octagonal, but I guess it helps when you're trying to squeeze three munchkins on the windowsill."_

_Ethan and Charlotte giggled and Laura gasped as she saw what she had been waiting for. Three Vipers flew by the window and one—he knew instantly that it was Kara—fell back and twisted itself up and backwards, forming a perfect Atrepedies Star maneuver._

_Laura traced the glass with her finger. _

"_Wow, Laura." Charlotte uttered in total awe. "Your mom is really cool."_

_Laura looked back to Lee and he nodded. "Yeah, your mom IS really cool, isn't she?"_

_Laura smiled at him as he kissed her forehead. "You're pretty cool too, Daddy."_

"Square windows." He whispered to himself as he saw that the portside of the closest ship was adorned with square windows. "Well, I'll be damned."

He flew to where the ship's shuttle bay was and saw that the doors were down, so he turned on the Raptor's message strobe light and took a deep breath. "Okay, Lords of Kobol, you've been trying to shove your existence down my throat for years now." He prayed as he pounded out a string of code on the small button next to him and the light relayed the message to anyone that might be looking. "But I'm afraid that if you really want me to believe in you, I'm still gonna need one more example………..so help me out here."

He waited a few seconds and was about to start the code again when he saw the most miraculous thing he'd seen since that day in sickbay when Kara held their daughter for the first time.

The shuttle bay doors opened to let him in.

**000000000000000000000**

"There is definitely something wrong with him." Maya Knowlton said after examining Boy for about ten minutes, holding the cat in her lap as Laura sat next to her, stroking his face.

Laura breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I knew that, and Cottle knew that……but it helps that someone who knows about cats knows that too." She chuckled ruefully. "I was beginning to think I was losing my mind."

"No, you're not losing your mind." Maya placed a hand on Laura's knee, turning to Dee. "Dualla, will you take Boy?"

"Sure." Dee smiled, taking him in her arms and looking at Laura sympathetically.

Maya got off the couch and walked over to a cupboard on the other side of the room, Laura followed her. "Do you think you can help him?"

Maya looked up from searching the shelves. "It's good that you brought him here. If any more time had passed, the damage would've been irreversible." She reached into the back of the cupboard. "But I know just what to do, and then everything will be as it should be."

"And you have something in there that will help?"

"In the short term." Maya responded carefully. "But Laura, you do realize that he'll have to stay here with me?"

"What? Why?" Laura started to shake her head. "He's _my_ cat, he belongs _with me_. Why can't I keep him on Galactica?"

Maya put a calming hand on Laura's shoulder. "That's _not_ where he belongs. You may think you have some claim to him……..but you _don't_ really. And you have to do what's best for him." She turned back to look at Dee and Corporal Townsend who had moved to the floor so that Boy could squirm around as he rubbed his face against the carpet. "He was poisoned, you know."

"Poisoned?" Laura whispered, unable to believe what she had heard. "Who would poison my cat?"

Maya turned to her with sadness. "Laura, it may not have been intentional, but it was bound to happen. He was taken from his family—from the warmth and security of being with his own kind—and put in a place where he didn't belong."

Boy stopped his squirming and got on his legs, taking on an attack position as he looked to the bedroom and began to hiss loudly. Dee reached over and tried to take the cat in her arms. "What the hell is wrong with you, stupid cat?" She grabbed hold of him, but he still struggled against her.

"I don't understand," Laura began, uncertainty in her voice. "Did I keep something toxic around? Something that I shouldn't have had in my quarters?"

"No," Maya soothed her. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just the environment; sometimes it can be toxic without you even knowing it. You thought that you could give him a good home, and I'm sure you had the best of intentions, but this is just what happens." She turned to Laura with a fanatical twinkle in her eye. "The intermixing of species is sometimes a necessary evil, but we are beginning to understand that it's a flawed idea."

Laura looked to Townsend, Dee, the cat in Dee's arms, and then back to Maya. "We?" She repeated softly, finally understanding what was going on.

Maya nodded again. "Because nothing really _blends_…………it just becomes corrupted. And that which was once vibrant in its uniqueness………becomes ill with conformity."

Laura looked to the floor in torment and tried to steady her breath.

Maya reached out and lifted Laura's chin so she was looking right at her again. "It's a good thing that you brought him back to us. This way, his family can work together to make him pure again. This is what is best, Laura…………everyone belongs with their own kind."

On the floor nearby, Boy lashed out and scratched Dee on the arm. "Frak." She hissed. "What is wrong with him?" The cat began to shriek and bare his teeth and thrash against Dee's arms. She looked up to Corporal Townsend. "Jason, help me with him!"

Corporal Townsend knelt closer to Dee and the cat, and for some inexplicable reason—set his gun on the floor next to him. "It's like he's going crazy."

Laura's breath finally became tempered and even as she watched them from the other side of the room. "I always liked you." She told Maya, smiling coldly to let her know that she was on to her. "I remember when we used to come here—you'd let me stay for as long as I wanted. You'd even gave me cookies."

"I lived for the moments. I heard your first word, I watched you grow." Maya smiled back reverently. "To be that close to a miracle from God, it was almost like I could feel his divine presence filling the room. It broke my heart when I gave up the cat to Captain Adama, because I knew I wouldn't see you anymore. At least not until you were ready to take your rightful place amongst us."

"The whole cat thing was just a ploy." Laura stated in a calm tone. "Just a way to get me here so that you could keep tabs on me."

"It started out that way." Maya confirmed. "But my devotion to you is _real_. I loved you the first moment I saw you, and I knew that you would lead us to a wondrous place…… and we would be closer to God because of you." Maya's eyes filled with proud tears. "You can still do that, Number Thirteen. We understand that you were confused, it's impossible to be around humans for very long without becoming infected with their unrighteousness. But all is forgiven now; you've been brought back to us. And we can make you better again."

"You're an amazing woman, Maya." Laura shook her head in wonderment. "You really are more than just an evil machine, you're also…………a very good liar."

"Dualla, maybe we should just let him go." Corporal Townsend suggested, nearly shouting over the ruckus the cat was causing.

"No." Dee stated firmly, looking down at the cat as he continued to struggle in her grasp. "I'm worried that if we let him go, he's gonna hurt himself."

Townsend looked at Dee as she tried to clutch the resisting cat even tighter. "Lords of Kobol, what the hell is making him freak out this way?"

Before Dee could look up to answer him, she heard a loud snap and a choked, stunted breath escape. And then she felt a body slump against her. Corporal Townsend lay lifeless next to her, his gun lying beside him where he had left it.

Dee looked up to see Number Six standing behind the body, looking down at her. The Cylon smiled menacingly. "Maybe the cat was freaking out because he knew someone was hiding in the bedroom closet."

**000000000000000000000**

Lee docked on the Greenleaf and jumped out of the Raptor with his hand firmly resting on his gun.

Someone came up behind him. "Lords of Kobol, you must have something watching out for you, because—."

The man stopped his sentence when Lee turned around and drew his gun up. "Identify yourself."

The man looked like he was about to throw up. "Okay, you're the one that landed in _my_ shuttle bay in the middle of a communications blackout—_you_ identify _yourself_."

Lee cocked his gun and took better aim. "Does it look like I'm in the mood to play games? Identify yourself NOW, or I shoot first and find out who you are later when they toetag your body."

The man gulped and raised his hands. "Okay, okay. I'm Mark Anderson, Landing Signal Officer on the Greenleaf." He took a trembling breath. "And you're Laura's father, right? Captain Adama from the Galactica?"

"_Major_ Adama, now." Lee corrected, feeling the sweat drip down his face. "And how do you know that?"

"Admiral Adama's son. You're either the best pilot in the fleet or married to the best pilot in the fleet……….. depending on who you talk to. And your kid is the one that grows about half a foot every week." Anderson replied, forcing a terrified smile. "Do you think there are people who _don't_ know who you are?"

"And somehow, you just _knew _that I was coming?" Lee hissed. "How do I know you're not a Cylon?"

"What? I'm not a Cylon." Anderson shook his head fiercely. "I was just sitting by the window since I had nothing to do—it's the weirdest thing, we haven't had a ship dock in about twenty minutes, even before the coms blackout—and I saw your signal light, so I opened the shuttle bay doors and activated the landing procedures."

Lee's jaw clenched and the breath hissed through his teeth. "And what, you think a Cylon wouldn't be able to do all those things?"

"Apollo?" A voice called softly.

Lee drew his focus away from the LSO long enough to look off to the side, about three feet behind him. And he saw an old friend.

"He's not a Cylon, CAG." Helo told him. "And you're wasting precious time."

In an instant, he was gone again.

Lee kept looking at the spot for several seconds, but then lowered his gun and shook his head. "Sorry." He held out his other hand. "But we're in kind of a bad situation here."

Anderson took Lee's hand a shook it. "Man, you're telling me. There's no dradis and no coms to the other ships in the fleet." He gulped again. "Are we about to get attacked?"

Lee didn't feel like lying to him. "Maybe. But right now, you've got bigger things to worry about. Get on the ship's intercom and tell everyone to evacuate to the hangar deck." He saw Anderson hesitate and pointed to the intercom station. "Do it NOW."

The LSO started to jog away, but Lee called out to him again. "And then sit back down at that window to keep a look out. Someone else is coming."

"How do you know that?" Anderson shouted back.

Lee shook his head. "I just _do_ somehow."

Anderson got to the intercom station and picked up the receiver, but then took it away from his ear and tapped it against his hand. "Major Adama?" He shouted to Lee. "The phone is dead."

Lee came over to the station and took the handset that Anderson held out for him. Sure enough, there was nothing but dead silence on the line. "Is this from the coms blackout?"

Anderson ran back over to his LSO station and looked over the controls on his panel. "No, sir, internal phones were working just fine only five minutes ago." He looked up to the window in front of the station. "It was only _external_ com traffic that was affect—." He stopped talking in mid-sentence and his mouth hung open as he spotted something out the window.

"What?" Lee asked him harshly, going over there too. "What do you see?"

"Another ship……….shining it's signal lights at me." Anderson replied. "Sending……_almost_ the exact same message that you did." He looked to Lee in wonder. "Who…..who _is_ that?"

Lee just patted his shoulder, staring out the window and letting the relief wash over him. "That, my friend, is a frakking goddess."

**000000000000000000000**

"Still no dradis, sir." Gaeta sighed as he sat back in his chair.

"We're not receiving transmissions from any other ships either, Admiral." The communications officer replied. "Nor are we able to contact them."

The Admiral stood in his usual place in CIC and stared up at the screens above him.

Tigh walked up next to him. "That's nothing new, and it's not gonna change by just sitting here."

"It's only been like this for twenty minutes, Saul." Adama lowered his head. "We still have time."

"And we've been trying to fix it for twenty minutes, but haven't been able to. The Cylons could be on their way right now." Tigh whispered cautiously. "I know you're worried about them, but we should jump………..and hope that Apollo and Starbuck can figure this out on their own."

Adama turned his head. "It's not just about Lee and Kara. There are smaller vessels that are helpless without contact from the bigger ships in the fleet. I'm not just gonna leave them here."

"He's right, Colonel." Gaeta spoke up as he came over to them. "We were caught in the middle of a transmit cycle. Half the ships in the fleet weren't even given the new emergency jump coordinates. Without coms and dradis, they'd be stuck here without us to protect them, and with no way of knowing where we went to."

"What are you doing to fix it, Mr. Gaeta?" Adama inquired softly, taking off his glasses and putting them on the table.

"We've got every tech working on the problem, sir. We're also running every diagnostic there is, but we already know the problem."

"Our own ship is being used against us." Tigh interjected, walking agitatedly around the table. "Galactica itself is putting out the signal disruption."

"Could be a virus, could be someone implemented a program into the system that we can't purge…….we just don't know, sir." Gaeta looked at Adama. "We could do a system wipe, shut everything down and hope that when we rebooted, the problem would be gone."

"They'd have thought of that already." Adama stated evenly, rubbing his eyes. "And if we shut down, it'd take time to get everything on-line again. We'd be even more helpless." Adama looked back to Gaeta. "Keep working, Mr. Gaeta."

Gaeta nodded and went back to his station as Tigh stood by Adama again. "Forgive me for saying this, Bill. But your fleet is helpless, your family just launched itself into the direct path of danger and yet you seem remarkably…….._calm_ about all this."

"Not calm," The Admiral corrected. "Just………understanding."

"Understanding?" Tigh repeated.

"Everything will either work out—or it won't." Adama stared up at the screen. "Sooner or later, the day comes where you can't hide from the things you've done anymore. Whether that's a bad thing or not……..depends on what kind of life you've led. And when that day comes, no last minute fixes are going to swing the outcome in your favor. You just have to sit back……… and trust." He looked over at the Colonel. "And so I'm waiting."

"Waiting?"

Adama nodded. "To be given assurance that we're worthy of survival."

Tigh snorted. "Well, you'll excuse me if I'm gonna keep trying to get the problem fixed so that we can jump the hell out of here?"

Adama just lowered his head. "Today is the day it ends, Saul. We either find our salvation….or receive our destruction. But today is the day we stop running."

**000000000000000000000**

Kara landed her Viper and the ship had barely stopped before she was throwing open her canopy and launching herself down the ladder to hit the deck. Her first order of business was to crush her lips to her husband's as he tangled his hands in her hair.

"I knew you'd come." He whispered as his lips ghosted across her face.

"Yeah?" Kara whispered back, clutching to him. "Well, I knew that you'd already be here." She pulled away and smiled slightly. "So I guess we're even."

Anderson interrupted them. "How did you get here? There must be eighty ships in the fleet, how did you know to dock on _this_ one?"

Kara examined the man with uncertainty until Lee squeezed her hand, affirming that he was safe. Kara shook her head in amusement, looking at Anderson. "You'll actually think I'm crazy if I tell you, so maybe it's best that I don't say."

Lee moved her face back to look at him. "What was it?"

"Well, the Greanleaf is virtually indistinguishable from the other ships, so……" She sighed and scratched her temple. "It was the windows." She answered with a chuckle. "I have no idea why I remember this, but I knew that the Greenleaf has square windows."

Lee's face split in the widest grin she had ever seen and he stroked his thumb over her cheek.

"What?" Kara asked softly.

"Nothing, it's just that Cottle was right." He started to tug her to the hangar exit. "We really do share a damn brain."

**000000000000000000000**

Dee sat frozen where she was on the floor and clutched Boy, almost to the point that the animal was whimpering to get free, but her only action was to let out a sob and tentatively reach out to touch Townsend's limp body.

Laura had the opposite reaction. She sprung forward and frantically ran over to where Townsend lay on the carpet next to Dee, looking for any signs that the marine was still alive.

"Corporal? Corporal Townsend?" She rasped harshly, shaking him violently, but to no avail. "Oh gods, oh gods………" Her voice trembled as she whispered softly. "Jason?"

"It's no use." Six said without emotion. "He's dead." She then looked at Laura in incredulous wonder. "Are you unfamiliar with the way death works, Number Thirteen?"

Laura reached over to take Corporal Townsend's side arm, but she heard a gun cock behind her and turned to see that Maya held the gun she had been searching for in the cupboard. And it was pointed right at Dee.

Laura gulped and turned back to Six. "No, I'm familiar with how it works." She told her defiantly, standing back up so that she was at near-eye level. "I guess I'm just not as _familiar_ with it as _you_ are."

Six walked up to the marine's dead body and nudged it with her foot. She then picked up his gun and smiled protectively. "You come with us……..and we'll take you to a place where you'll never die."

Laura smiled back. "You would think that the promise of immortality would be enough to tip the scales in your favor," She crinkled her nose up in disgust. "But it's really not. Not if that immortality had to be spent with the likes of you."

Six began to look annoyed. "Obviously your human parents never taught you to show any respect."

Laura angrily began to step closer to the Cylon, but felt Dee's hand pull on her arm, stopping the movement.

Dee stood up, letting Boy scurry into the corner, and tugged on Laura's arm until she stepped back again and they stood shoulder to shoulder. "Stay away from her." Dee told Laura quietly.

Six cast an examining glance up and down the young coms officer and tilted her head to the side. "I'd never do anything to hurt her." To prove her point, she then threw the gun to the floor several feet away from where she was standing. "After all, this is about love."

Dee's mouth quirked up in a hint of a terrified smile. "Says the woman who just broke someone's neck without a second thought."

Six looked to Laura in disbelief. "You're taking guidance and direction from humans who couldn't possibly have a tenth of the knowledge and potential that you have. Is that really what you want your life to be about, Number Thirteen?"

"Don't call me that." Laura hissed through clenched teeth.

Six knelt down to the floor when she saw that Boy had reemerged from his hiding and was inching toward them again. She carefully held out her hand and made kissing noises, attempting to lure the cat to her.

Dee took the Cylon's distraction as an opportunity to move Laura away slightly, but she heard a throat clear and turned to see Maya pointing the gun at the space between her eyes. Dee stopped her retreat and felt the back of her knee come into contact with the end table next to the couch.

Six stayed kneeling on the floor, gently smiling at the cat until he came up to her and let her stroke his head. She then gingerly scooped him up and into her arms. She continued to pay attention to the cat, but spoke to Laura. "What else would I call you? Laura Adama?" Six looked up and shook her head. "That's not who you are."

Laura squeezed Dee's hand a little tighter. "I thought it was up to _me _to decide who I was."

"You _do_ decide." Six stood up and rubbed the cat behind his ears. "But what you don't seem to understand is that it's a choice you will have to make _soon_."

"No," Laura corrected. "What you don't seem to understand is that I've already _made_ my choice." She grinned and leaned forward as if to tell a secret. "And you're just being a sore loser about it."

Six shook her head again. "You made your _choice_—." She said the word with derision. "—without knowing all the facts. Your destiny, your purpose in life—can only be achieved when played in harmony with God's plan."

"Yeah, right……..destiny, purpose, harmony…..blah blah blah." Laura rolled her eyes. "Listen, whatever you're gonna do, could you just _do it, _already? Because I am getting so sick of your yapping!" She groaned slightly and looked at Dee. "Gods, no wonder Baltar frakked around on her so much."

Six's eyes flashed with fury and she nodded to Maya who stepped back to begin preparing for them to leave the room. "Fine." She seethed back at Laura, gripping the skin around that cat's neck so hard that he began to hiss in her arms. "I WILL. Since it's obvious that we'll have to move quickly to save you from the insolence that has corrupted you from the divine form God gave you!"

Out the corner of her eye, Dee watched Maya move around the cupboards at the back of the room. But Laura's eyes stayed transfixed on the woman who was trying to steal her away.

Boy began to try and claw his way out of Six's grasp as she started to shake violently with anger. "We will take you back to your true family and then you will see—." She was cut off by her own pained gasp when the cat sprung up and screeched loudly, clawing her face and leaving a deep gash down the side.

Six instantly dropped the cat and grabbed her face in horror. Upon hearing the clamor, Maya stopped what she was doing behind them and stepped forward to come to Six's aide.

But when Maya began to move toward them again, Dee grabbed the lamp on the end table behind her and raised it above her head, squarely bringing it down on the woman's head. The ceramic shattered and Maya fell in an unconscious heap down to the floor, her gun falling beside her.

Six's mouth hung open in disbelief and she let her hand drop from her face. She stepped forward but was stopped when Laura's closed fist delivered a sound blow to the injured side of her face.

It was more the shock of what was happening than the force of the blow that knocked Six down, dropping mere feet away from her fellow Cylon.

Dee reached down quickly and took Maya's gun off the floor before Six had a chance to recover. Dee moved beside Laura as Laura stood above Six, unsuccessfully trying to hide her disgust. She cocked the gun and pointed it at Six, who sat up on her elbows and wiped the blood off her face from where Boy had scratched her and the blood from her mouth caused by Laura's punch.

Six laughed mockingly. "Obviously disrespect wasn't the only thing you learned from your human mother. You learned violence from her as well, just as she learned it from hers."

"My mother didn't teach me how to hit like that." Laura breathed out harshly, defiantly. "My _grandfather _did."

Dee walked carefully over to the other end table, making sure that the gun was always pointed at Six, and picked up the phone. "It's dead." She informed them, voice trembling slightly.

Six laughed again, softer this time as she began to regain her composure. "You humans have somehow managed to alter the plan. So even though it will never be enough to stop us……we're through leaving everything up to the hands of fate. Too much is at stake." She looked at Laura. "Did you really think we wouldn't be prepared this time?"

Just as she said it, the lights went out.

**000000000000000000000**

Lee and Kara both strode down the corridor, guns drawn and military training at full attention.

"You know where we're going?" Kara asked softly.

"Yeah." He replied, checking an opened hatch in the hallway to make sure that it was clear. "Maya Knowlton's quarters."

"You really think they'll still be there?"

"I'm hoping we'll catch a break." He sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow.

Kara took a deep breath as they hurried along. "This malfunction to paralyze the fleet……….you realize it means there's a Cylon on Galactica, Lee. Someone we know, someone we trust."

He lowered his head for a second. "I know." He looked over at her. "But right now, let's just take care of this. Something is telling me that if we rescue Laura, everything else will work itself out."

"What's telling you that?"

He bit his lip and smiled nervously. "My faith."

Just then, the lights went out.

Cloaked in darkness, he heard Kara groan beside him. "You were saying something about catching a break?"

**000000000000000000000**

"Laura! Move to the door!" Dee shouted, purposely knocking over the end table and reaching out to grab her godsdaughter. Finding her hand she pulled her to the door.

Six felt around in the darkness and found the gun that she had tossed aside. Aiming at the sound of Dee's voice, she fired several times. Dee blindly fired back, shattering a picture off the wall just as she pushed Laura through the door.

The emergency lights came on, casting the rooms in a dim red glow. Six got up from the floor and emerged into the hallway to find dozens of Greenleaf passengers headed to the shuttle bay.

"Move quickly—but orderly—to the designated emergency location!" A man shouted over the chaos. He saw Six standing immobile in the hallway, gazing at the retreating passengers with frigid detachment. "Miss? You'll need to head to the shuttle bay as well."

"There's someone I need to find first." Six stated calmly.

"Just tell us who it is, and we'll keep an eye out for them when we get to the shuttle bay." He assured her, steering the last of the people toward the end of the hall. "That's where everyone is headed."

"My daughter isn't going to the shuttle bay. Too many people would be hurt if I followed her there." Six smiled proudly. "And misguided as it is, she's all about protecting people."

"Well, you can't stay here." The man told her firmly. "We don't know what's going on and we've already heard gunshots. The Cylons could be on their way."

Six raised her gun point blank to the man's chest. "Oh, I think the Cylons are already here." She smirked. "But I need to find someone before I can deal with you."

He gulped in fear and stepped backwards, then ran at full speed away from her. Six turned and walked in the other direction.

**000000000000000000000**

Kara and Lee ran until they were about a hundred feet from Maya's corridor, bypassing screaming passengers along the way. The man who had been speaking to Six came up to them in absolute panic, struggling to catch his breath. "Cylon!" He screamed, pointing down the hallway. "Total Cylon! Total Cylon!"

Kara pushed against his chest. "Slow down."

"It was a woman." He breathed out. "Pointed a gun at me, said the Cylons were already here, and said she was looking for someone."

"Who'd she say she was looking for?" Lee shouted over the man's agitation.

"Her daughter." The man trembled. "How is that possible? Toasters can't have children……" He stopped and looked back and forth between Lee and Kara, recognizing them. "Hey, I know who you are!"

"Yeah, join the frakking club." Lee pushed him toward the other end of the hallway.

"And get the frak outta here while you still can!" Kara added.

"Let's go."

"Her daughter?" Kara questioned. "Another copy of Sharon?"

"I don't think so." Lee shook his head. "I don't know why, but I think this is tied up with Baltar."

"How can it be? Baltar's still on Cloud Nine."

"Actually," Lee began cautiously. "He's dead. I went over to Cloud Nine after I got back from the Pegasus and he'd been murdered. I don't think this was………"

He stopped when they came to Maya's quarters and found the door wide open. Their eyes adjusted to the dim light coming in from the corridor and they saw her slumped on the floor. Kara ran over and touched her head; Maya woke up slowly.

"Captain Thrace? Major Adama? Thank the gods." She began with a slurred voice when she saw them. "It was awful. There was a woman……she stormed in here and attacked the corporal, and then she attacked me."

Kara stopped her. "Did you see where they went?"

"They?" Maya looked around the darkened room. "Oh gods...where are Laura and Dee? The woman kept repeating something about claiming her daughter to fulfill some righteous purpose." She rose to her feet with Kara's help and grabbed the arm that Lee held out to steady her. "I think……gods, I can't even imagine it. I think she might have been a Cylon."

Lee and Kara glanced at each other knowingly as Maya continued. "You have to find her, you have to protect Laura."

Lee and Kara looked at each other in disbelief. "You believe her?" Lee asked bluntly.

Kara took in the sight of the disheveled woman and shook her head. "Normally I would." She replied casually, lifting her gun to Maya's chest. "But there's a little voice in my head that keeps shouting '_Total Cylon. Total Cylon'_."

"Helo's voice?" Lee questioned.

"Sharon's voice." Kara corrected.

Lee looked at Maya determinedly. "Kill her, Kara."

Before Maya could protest, Kara fired two rounds into her chest and she fell dead to the floor. They then heard a mewling noise and a small figure made its way from its corner, across the carpet and into the hall.

Kara pointed at Boy. "Follow that cat."

**000000000000000000000**

Six walked for several minutes until she came to a deserted corridor in a closed off section of the ship.

"This is the end of the line. Do you think you can hide from me?" Six yelled out, chuckling softly. "Really, Number Thirteen, you think the hide and seek games from your childhood are enough to hide from your family? We've been playing games with this fleet for so many years. And while it was never fun for us………it has always been slightly _comical_. If only because the humans actually believe they have a chance of winning the game."

Dee and Laura stood hidden behind a door off the corridor, both holding their breaths, Dee's hand holding Laura's head protectively.

"Do you know what game I've always found to be fun?" Six shouted out, casually sauntering down the hallway. "Triad."

Dee let her head fall back to the wall behind her as she heard the Cylon's footsteps grow closer.

"I know it's funny……a Cylon appreciating a lowly card game." Six smiled to herself. "But it's almost like a metaphor for life. For conflict. Someone makes a wager……… someone makes a counter bet. And most of the time, whoever has the better hand wins."

Laura stepped forward to place her ear against the door. She turned to Dee and put her hand on the knob. "Stay in here."

Dee grabbed her hand. "Where do you think you're going?" She whispered harshly.

"She only wants me." Laura rasped back. "I could fool her into thinking that I was going with her and then—."

Dee cut her off. "You aren't going _anywhere_."

Six continued to walk toward where they were. "We've obviously got the better hand, Laura." She laughed, using Laura's human name in an attempt to throw her off-balance. "But maybe you're hoping you can bluff your way through this. I've heard from a friend that you're quite skilled at bluffing." Six stopped walking and stood in the middle of the hallway. "But how good is your ability to weed out if _someone else_ is bluffing……….or if they really _d_o have you beat?"

"Laura?" Dee placed a hand on Laura's shoulder. "This is not your fight. This is not what you were created for. Your destiny comes _after_ the smoke clears."

Six took a deep breath, declaring her ultimatum. "If you're not on a shuttle with me in twenty minutes………the entire fleet will be decimated by an inbound Cylon attack. But if you come with me, we might leave them alone and allow them to carry out their own destruction." Six looked up to the ceiling, to the gently strobing red lights. "I could be bluffing, or we could be less than half an hour away from the deaths of everyone you..." Her mouth turned up in a snarl. "…..love."

"Stay where you are, little girl." Dee exhaled forcefully, feeling Laura tense up beside her.

"We only want you." Six called out softly. "Are you really willing to sacrifice them?"

Laura lowered her head and then began to open the door. Until she heard the click of a gun and looked up in the subtle red light to see Dualla pointing it at her.

Dee shook her head and looked at Laura with pure love. "Your heart is in the right place………but I already told you……….this is not your fight."

**0000000000000000000000**

Kara followed the cat without question, but Lee trailed behind her uncertainly, his gun drawn the entire time. "For frak's sake, Kara. He could just be hungry and following the smell of food."

"No, Lee." Kara responded, coming to the beginning of a closed off corridor. "That cat loves her. He'll protect her even wh—." She stopped when she heard someone else speaking.

"……_..love_." They heard the distant voice call out.

"You hear that?" Kara asked looking at Lee. He nodded and they peeked around the corner.

"_We only want you_." They heard Six say. "_Are you really willing to sacrifice them_?"

"So that's the one." Kara whispered, recognizing Six and falling behind Lee. "Shoulda figured the Cylon model that looked like an _actual_ model would be the one causing all the trouble."

"Stay back." Lee whispered, turning to face her. But when he did, he saw that his wife was already moving toward the Cylon.

"Hey?" Kara shouted, moving out into the open. "I remember you!"

Dee and Laura both were startled to hear Kara's voice. "Mom?" Laura whispered.

Six turned around to face Kara and fired at her, narrowly missing her head. Lee stepped out from behind the corner and he and Kara both returned several rounds. Six fired back and a bullet caught Kara, she fell back against the wall, gasping in agony.

Lee pushed her around the corner and down so that she was seated on the floor. "Are you okay?"

"I'm hit." She whispered shakily, touching her upper chest next to her shoulder. "It's not that bad." She whimpered even as her eyes slid shut. "It doesn't matter. Find Laura."

Laura roughly pushed Dee away from the door and opened it, hearing gunshots as Six continued to fire at her parents.

"Hey!" Laura shouted as she ran out into the hallway to face the Cylon.

Six turned when she heard Laura's voice and began to run toward her, but Dee leapt out from behind the door as well, firing at Six and pushing Laura from the middle of the hallway into a service alcove.

Dee saw the hatch that said **Engineering Room** and opened it without looking to see what it was; only thinking about getting away. They found themselves at the top of a long set of steel-grated stairs and looked down to see a large, two-storied room that held various machinery and pumps to operate the ship.

Six saw that Laura and Dee were holding onto each other, so instead of shooting at them, she came barreling through the hatch. Dee turned around to face her, pointing her gun at her. Six kicked the gun out of Dee's hand and tried to push her down the stairs, but Laura pounced on the Cylon as she tried to protect her godsmother.

Six struggled against Laura and was finally able to shove her off, but the motion and her superior strength shoved Laura against Dee and roughly pushed them both onto the metal-rebar railing, causing it to come loose from the landing. Dee grabbed a hold of Laura and Laura in turned grabbed onto Dee.

They both screamed as the railing gave way, a section of it falling to the floor, and they fell with it to the ground more than twenty feet below.

Six looked off the edge to the two bodies that laid unmoving on the ground and had to take a step back in horror as she realized what she had done. But by stepping back, she moved through the still-open hatch and back into Lee's line of fire. Lee fired at her several times and one of the shots hit Six's upper thigh. She groaned in pain, stumbling first against the wall of the corridor and then back through the hatch and onto the landing. She dropped to her knees.

When Six looked down off the landing again, she didn't see the two bodies that had been laying there before. They were gone. She barely had time to take in the situation before she heard a bullet fire above her head, bouncing off of a nearby wall. She turned to see Lee running through the doorframe.

Six smiled menacingly and held her gun up, pulling the trigger, but she was already out of bullets. Lee smiled in victory at the empty click and fired off another round, but it missed because Six was already in motion, leaping toward him.

The distraction of the missed shot and having a tall, leggy blonde leap at him was enough that Six could grab hold of Lee, twisting their bodies. She tried to throw Lee off the landing, but he managed it so that he fell down the stairs instead. Six smiled with a strange happiness as she saw Lee tumble down each step and groan as he hit hard concrete at the bottom.

The gun had fallen out of Lee's hand when he hit one of the steps and he looked up to see that as Six walked down the stairs, she stopped at that step and picked up his gun. Lee's eyes widened and he gulped when he saw the Cylon grip the cool metal of his service piece.

"What?" Six asked amusedly when she saw Lee's fright. "Are you afraid of this? I could still beat you without it."

Lee grimaced and he adjusted himself so that his upper body was leaning against the wall. "You Cylons always claim that you can beat us simply because your God is more righteous. Funny how I never see you come to a battle without packing an armory of firepower."

"Alright then." Six smiled. She stood on the step and pointed the gun at the other side of the room. She fired without looking and on the third shot, that gun clicked empty too. She tossed it carelessly to the floor. "It's just you and me, Apollo. How do we measure up? No weapons, just hand-to-hand combat. We'll see who's fiercer, who wants to win the battle more……. who has more at stake."

Lee laughed as he tentatively rose to his feet, the soreness still in his body. "My wife tends to exaggerate when she tells war stories, but I believe the last time on of you did that, it wound up dead on a heap of rubble."

Six smiled, finally stepping directly in front of him. "That won't happen again."

Lee reached for her and grabbed her neck, slamming her face into the wall beside them. She threw her head back and turned quickly, flinging him off of her. He stumbled backward, but recovered quickly and leapt for her again.

She was too quick for that, though; she struck him with a kick to the face and pushed him further away, then ran to him and savagely punched him several times. He dropped to his knees and that brought him eye level with the thigh injury he had inflicted, so he reached up and drove his thumb into her fleshy, bleeding wound.

She yelped in pain and pushed him away again. "God, you humans do play dirty, don't you?" She groaned, out of breath.

Lee picked himself up of the ground and began to look for anything he could use as a weapon, but it was a pump room—not a tool room—and everything was too large or attached to something else. "That's funny coming from you and your kind. You don't exactly play fair. Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

She looked over at him and stood up straight, finally shrugging off her pain. Her eyes examined him from head to toe and she took note of the fact that she had a good six inches on him. "You don't _have _anybody my own size." She scoffed disgustedly.

He lunged for her again and she tried to throw him off, but this time, his force was enough to push them both into the hard metal wall. She struggled to reach for him and grabbed his neck, wrapping her fingers around it. She twisted their bodies so that only he was pinned against the wall, and she held him there by the death grip on his throat.

"That's what's got you so angry all the time, isn't it?" She hissed at him as he struggled for breath. "So full of rage because you just don't measure up."

He began to gasp for air and she leaned in, whispering soothing words to him. "Shh, shh, it's not just you. It's your whole species. You keep fighting and fighting in this pathetically futile attempt to survive when what you should realize is that _you don't deserve to_." Her eyes became soft and sympathetic. "We're better than you are, greater, stronger. We are the next generation of God's chosen. And with that child's help, we will wipe every last remnant of your wretched race from the universe." She pressed harder against his throat. "If you would just _die already_ and let me _find her_!"

**000000000000000000000**

"Bill?"

He heard Tigh's voice from beside him

"Bill?"

"What Saul?" He asked without lifting his head or opening his eyes.

"We have to do something."

Adama took a deep breath. "Everything we can do is already being done."

There was silence until he heard his name again."Bill?"

But this time, it wasn't Tigh's voice. The Admiral opened his eyes and looked up across the table to see Laura Roslin smiling at him.

Her voice was gentle and proud as she spoke to him. "You said that humanity never asked itself why it deserved to survive."

Sharon then appeared and came to stand next to her, smiling gently as well. "Well, we can give you a few reasons."

"_Galactica, Galactica, any ships, CAN YOU READ ME_?"

Tigh's whole body perked up from its dejected slump when the transmission broke through the intercom. "What the hell?" He shouted.

The coms officer laughed slightly and picked up her headset. "This is Galactica, we read you loud and clear!"

"This is Kat." The voice over the intercom responded. "I'm out on CAP and my dradis just cleared again. What the hell happened?"

Gaeta looked at the dradis screen and tapped it several times, then looked over to Tigh and the Admiral. "The dradis is functioning again. The jamming signal has been deactivated."

Loud cheers erupted throughout CIC.

"Thank the gods." Tigh shouted over them. "How?"

"I'm not sure, sir." Gaeta replied in shock. "It just... stopped on its own."

"Ships all throughout the fleet are now contacting us, sir." The coms officer laughed with relief.

Adama looked over to the two dead women standing before him and smiled, tears moistening his eyes. He mouthed '_Thank you_.'

Roslin nodded. "But we're not done yet. Repeat after me, Bill." Her eyes and stature took on the determination of a schoolteacher. "887.95 carom 673. You'll be safe there for a while."

"887.95 carom 673." He repeated to himself.

She giggled slightly, gesturing to the com station. "Now say it loud enough so that everyone else can hear."

"Petty Officer!" Adama shouted above the chaos. "887.95 carom 673. Send those jump coordinates to every ship in the fleet. Do it now!" He looked back to find that the two women were already gone. "And then tell them to jump immediately."

"Sir, half the ships in the fleet have already jumped………" She paused, sifting through the deluge of messages she was receiving. "…._to those exact coordinates_. The messages say that when their com systems came back on line, there were instructions to jump to the coordinates that you just gave me."

"Those aren't the coordinates we had programmed into the computer, sir." Gaeta spoke up. "How did those ships know to jump to them? How did they receive that message?"

"The rest of the fleet is jumping now, sir." The coms officer informed him.

Adama turned to her. "Get a message to the Greenleaf, tell them that our CAP is going to fly combat patrol around it and that our Raptors are going to be docking! And send out the alert fighters!" He shouted.

**000000000000000000000**

Lee was just about to lose consciousness, anticipating everything to go dark, when instead, _everything went bright_. The pulsing red light ceased and was replaced with the full lights of a completely functional ship.

The grip Six had around his neck slackened as she noticed the change. "What is going on?" She whispered in shock, looking around the room. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

Lee took advantage of her surprise so that he could take a few breaths and gather enough strength to push himself off the wall and smack her head back with the brunt of his hand.

She did step back, but still managed to punch him roughly, causing his weakened body to slump to the floor again. He fell to his knees and clutched his chest as he continued to struggle for breath.

She just stood above him, looking down at the top of his head. "This is just tragic. And while I've never been fond of the irony that is so prevalent in your ancient stories, but I must admit that this is beautifully ironic." She told him arrogantly, casually. "Your family, your race, and your entire false religion are about to die along with a god named Apollo."

He had nearly fallen into unconsciousness again when the mention of his callsign made something click in his head.

"_I wanna hear the story again."_

"_Laura, I'm tired." He looked down at her, her eyes still wide open as she laid in her bed. "Go to sleep."_

"_Just once more." She whined. "Please, Daddy."_

"_Okay, just once more." He conceded as he opened the book and began the story. "Long ago, there was a great queen named Niobe. She was beautiful and powerful, but also quite proud. And it was her pride was her own downfall. In her arrogance, she made a fatal mistake; she insulted the twins of Zeus. She told everyone that because her family was larger in number than the family of Artemis and Apollo, it was greater. __The twins of Zeus could not stand for this insult and they exacted their revenge; striking down her family with poisoned arrows."_

"But this is no epic tale, it's just how your world is going to end, Apollo." Six taunted him, leaning down so that she could say it directly in his ear. "You're just a broken man, kneeling on the floor. You have no chariot, no bow……..no arrow."

Lee closed his eyes and subtly reached into his pocket, thoughts running through his head.

_Yestradin is a highly potent tranquilizer…………enough to knock out someone with Cylon physiology………….I'll sign out some syringes to you……….and you'll have to carry them at all times._

Six reached up to stroke his sweat covered forehead. "And your gods aren't going to save you."

Lee uncapped the syringe and pulled it out of his pocket, growling as he plunged it deep into Six's neck.

She gasped and reached for the syringe sticking out of her jugular, but in the second it took for her hand to reach its destination and pull it out, the drug had started to take effect, and her hand dropped limply to her side.

Lee pushed her away from him and her body fell backwards onto the floor.

She gasped as she looked up at him, her eyes struggling to stay open even as her body embraced its paralysis. Her breath came out in near-sobs. "This was not the way it was supposed to happen, it had been written out. It was promised to us by Almighty God."

Lee was overcome by strength again and rose to his feet, standing over her. "Well, I guess this means that there's something stronger than your God." He hissed.

She laughed contemptuously as she looked up at him, her lips and eyes the only thing she could move. "Please don't tell me you're talking about _love_."

Just as Lee was about to answer, he heard a voice call down to them. "Hey lady?"

He looked over to the top of the stairs and saw Kara breathing heavily and clutching her shoulder. Lee walked over to the steps and she tossed her gun down to him. He caught it and made his way back over to Six.

Kara gazed at the Cylon from the top of the stairs. "You seriously don't wanna mess with my family." She then looked at Lee as he pointed the gun at Six. "Kill her, Lee."

He followed Kara's order and fired a bullet into her forehead.

Kara gingerly made her way down the stairs as Lee rushed to meet her, kissing her. "Are you okay?"

She touched the wound on her upper chest. "Well, I won't be sparring with you anytime soon, but I think I'll be fine." She looked over at Six's body lying on the floor. "I was about to pass out when the lights came back on, but they jolted me awake again, so I made my way here." She looked back to him and he nodded. "Where's Laura?"

"I don't know. I think she and Dee managed to……….." He trailed off when he looked over and saw Boy skittering down the steps.

The cat scampered over to the alcove beneath the stairs and meowed at the large air vent on the lower half of the wall. Lee and Kara made their way over and looked at the grate, they could see that barely visible brown fingers were holding it closed from inside.

"Dee?" Kara whispered.

"Dee, it's us." Lee told her, pulling the grate from the wall to find Dee curled up in the vent, holding an unconscious Laura close to her.

"The Cylon?" Dee choked out.

"She's dead, Dee." Kara assured her, reaching in for Laura and starting to cry. "Oh gods."

"She's just unconscious." Dee calmed them as they pulled Laura out. "The fall was pretty rough, but I checked her out and she's still breathing."

Lee looked at the vent. "How did you get in here?"

"It was already open. I guess they were doing some work on it." Dee croaked, taking deep breaths. "So I dragged us in here and held the grate closed."

Kara continued to hold Laura, stroking her hair with one hand as she checked her vitals with the other. "I think she just got knocked out."

Dee laughed weakly. "I think I must've cushioned her fall." She finally allowed Lee to pull her out of the vent. "There was that metal rebar over there," She pointed to the section of the fallen railing that was sticking up in the air. "But I made sure Laura didn't fall on it."

Lee placed Dee up against the wall and went to check out the offending rebar. When he touched it, he pulled back to find smears of blood on his finger.

It was then that he understood what had happened.

With resigned fear and sadness, he walked back over to Dee and put his hand on her abdomen. When he pulled back this time, there was blood all over his hand. Her shirt was covered in it.

"Huh." Dee looked down at her own gaping wound and shut her eyes, letting out a pained chuckle before slumping to the floor. "I was wondering why I felt so cold."

TBC

_To all the Lee/Kara shippers reading this (of which I'm one, so don't take offense), please try to remember that in this story, Dee dying is a SAD thing. _**:P**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: There's a little shout-out to Nytel in this chapter for all the help she's given me with it. Oh, and I don't care what the astronomers say, Pluto is still a frakking planet!**

* * *

President William Keikeya stepped off his shuttle and walked to Galactica's sickbay with no other thought in his head except for reminding himself to put one foot in front of the other. Everyone in the hallway stepped to the side when they saw him coming and it wasn't until he heard Corporal Venner's voice that he realized he had tuned out all other noise. 

"Mr. President?"

Billy stopped in front of him right outside sickbay. "Did we bring our people home?"

Venner nodded somberly and opened the hatch for the President to step through.

Laura and Kara sat beside each other on a bed while Lee stood next to Kara and the Admiral stood next to Laura. Kara had shrugged out of the top of her flightsuit so that Cottle could work on her shoulder and a medic was taping a bandage to Laura's forehead.

"You got lucky, Captain. A few more inches and it would have hit an artery." Cottle told her gruffly, examining the site. "But when your adrenaline wears off, you're gonna be in a lot of pain."

"It's not so bad." Kara whispered numbly, staring at a random spot on the other side of the room.

"Don't try to be brave." Cottle poured more antiseptic on her wound. "You were shot in the shoulder."

Kara looked at him in annoyance, the sting not even registering. "So what?" Her eyes moistened, remembering how Lee had caught Dualla when she slid down the wall and took her last breath. "It's not like I got skewered clean through with a rebar."

Her mind flashed to the memory of the Cylon she had fought on Caprica, who had died in the same way. Only with Dee, Kara felt the exact opposite of relief that the errant piece of metal had been where it was. This time, that piece of metal had killed her friend.

Laura must've been thinking the same thought. "I know the story too, Mom." She looked down at Boy, who was sitting in her lap. "_All of this has happened before, all of this will happen again_."

Her lip began to tremble, so Kara grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Adama leaned in and kissed the top of Laura's head. "I'm just so glad you're all right."

She looked up at him, then at her mother's shoulder and the deep purple bruises that were forming on her father's neck, then to the large window that looked into the room holding Corporal Townsend's body. "Oh yeah." She replied, wracked with guilt. "Best shape out of anyone here."

The Admiral heard Billy clear his throat and left the bed to talk to him over on the other side of sickbay. "What's the situation?" Billy asked.

"We should be okay for awhile………….but not for long. We obviously have a Cylon in our midst." Adama replied reluctantly. "The transmission that jammed communication and dradis was emitted _from_ Galactica. I cleared Laura's Raptor to the Greenleaf earlier than expected because CIC received a message that they were halting traffic to and from the ship because of a massive delivery of supplies—but there _was no_ delivery scheduled, and the Greenleaf never sent out any such message." Adama lowered his head and sighed. "Racetrack was supposed to stay docked on the Greenleaf for Laura's entire visit, but a priority-one call with Galactica's recognition codes ordered her to the Zephyr right before everything went wrong, and when she got there, she discovered that the Zephyr never requested a Raptor."

"All of this has been verified?"

"It has." The Admiral confirmed. "Someone went to a lot of trouble to bring this about."

Billy nodded, taking in the information. "We should jump again, get out of harm's way."

"But where exactly is '_out of harm's way'_, Mr. President? If we have a Cylon onboard, wherever we go, we won't be safe for very long."

"Something will show you the way to safety, Admiral." Father Monseau's voice called from the door. "Just like before."

Adama looked over at the priest, whose eyes conspicuously moved over to where Laura was sitting.

"Where is Dualla?" Monseau asked after a moment, joining Adama and Billy in the middle of the room.

Corporal Venner joined them too. "We've already put her in the chapel."

"At _her_ request." Cottle spoke up brusquely as he continued to treat Kara. "It seems that a year and a half _before_ her death, Petty Officer Dualla put a signed letter in her medical file stating that if anything were to happen to her, she should be placed in the chapel immediately." He looked over to them accusingly. "Know anything about that, Father?"

"I only know it was her decision." Monseau replied reverently, determinedly staring back at the doctor.

"But MY _fault_." Laura whispered, almost to herself.

"Hey, NO, little girl." Lee moved to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "None of this is your fault."

Laura shoved Boy into her father's arms and jumped off the bed. "How can you say that? You and Mom are hurt, Corporal Townsend's dead, Dee's dead, but I barely have a scratch on me." She choked on her words, looking around at the wounded and grieving people in sickbay. "And for what? All of this was done for _me_." She covered her eyes as the tears fell. "Why am I worth it?"

"Because you're _Laura_." Billy told her softly, slowly walking to her and taking her hand. "No other reason than that was necessary."

Father Monseau continued the sentiment. "There is only one thing in this existence that is strong enough to warrant that kind of sacrifice, Laura. And it's not heroism, or loyalty, or even _faith_." He held up the book that he always carried with him, and threw it into the nearest trash bin. "What's going to happen next has nothing to do with the gods. It's only between you and us. Dualla wasn't thinking of the fulfillment of some prophecy when she died. She was only thinking of you."

"But if I _don't_ fulfill that prophecy," Laura countered, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Then she died for nothing."

"She died to keep you safe. That wasn't _nothing_ in her eyes, that was _everything_." Billy corrected. "That's what godsmothers are supposed to do."

"And given the chance, she'd do it again." Monseau added. "Regardless of what you now choose to do."

"And the choice is still yours, Laura." Billy squeezed her hand a little tighter. "You say the word, and this ends now."

"But if I say the word to end this, everything _else_ will end. It would only be a matter of time, and then there would be nothing left." Laura shook her head and dropped her gaze down to her feet. "It's an easy choice……. but I'm still a little afraid."

"That's good." Monseau smiled slightly. "The fear lets you know that it's working. It's what's letting you know that your human side has won."

Laura lifted her head and smiled back at him. "It really has." She then met Billy's eyes. "I've already made my choice."

Billy nodded and looked back to the priest. Father Monseau nodded as well, and held out his hand for Laura. "Then you'll need to come with me."

Kara and Lee had been silently watching the scene, not knowing what to make of it, but upon hearing the last statement, Kara practically leapt off the bed and Lee stepped forward with fierce protectiveness. "You're not taking her anywhere!" They both shouted.

"I'm not _taking_ her, she's _choosing_ to go." Monseau defended. "That's the only way this will work."

"No frakking way." Kara seethed, panic hitching in her voice. "She's _our _child, and she stays with us."

Laura calmly turned to her. "That's why you have to come _with_ me, Mom." She then looked at her father. "You too, Dad."

"Where?" Lee whispered in fear, placing a hand on Laura's shoulder. "Where in the hell do you think you're going?"

"To where I was always destined to go." She answered simply, her blue eyes shining back at him."I'm assuming we don't have much time?" Laura asked, turning back to Billy and the priest.

"That would be a fair assumption." Billy answered.

"Then let's not waste anymore more." She looked to Cottle and pointed to her injured and disheveled mother. "She okay to leave sickbay?"

"Not really." Cottle snorted, dropping the used bandages onto a tray. "But something tells me she's gonna leave anyway."

Laura chuckled lightly. "We'll be back in sickbay as soon as we can."

"Laura?" Lee began in a panic. "For frak's sake, this is ridiculous. Tell me what's going on!"

Laura touched his face, calming him. "You once told me that loving someone meant that you'd follow them into hell." She gave him a cheeky grin. "I'm not asking you to go _quite_ that far, but you'll need to follow me."

Lee and Kara looked at each other nervously, but finally nodded in reluctant agreement.

Laura picked Boy up from the bed and walked to her grandfather, staying silent for a moment. "I wish you could go." She told him softly.

The Admiral shook his head. "I don't think I'd go even if I was allowed." He reached out and rubbed the cat's head. "The Old Man's seen too much already, Laura."

Laura lowered her head. "The President wasn't supposed to tell you, she wasn't supposed to show you the entire picture."

"She didn't tell me, but I knew." He lifted her chin back up, and touched the bandage on her forehead. "The minute I felt that water lapping against my legs……… I knew what it meant."

"And?" She asked hesitantly.

It was his turn to lower his head, and his voice was breaking when he answered. "Go do what you gotta do, little girl."

Laura moved the cat into his waiting arms. "Take care of Boy."

He secured the cat and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "I will."

Laura turned from him and took a deep breath. "I'm ready." She walked out of sickbay.

* * *

Laura and Father Monseau walked down the corridor side by side, with Lee and Kara a few feet behind them, slower since Kara was leaning on him slightly in her weakened state. 

They walked in silence until they came to the turn of the hallway that led to the chapel. Laura stopped for a moment and looked back at her parents longingly, but then turned around again and continued until she reached the hatch.

She reached up and gently touched the sign identifying the place of worship. "Everything's set up? And Dee's inside?"

"Yes." Monseau told her. "Corporal Venner has already taken care of her."

Laura nodded, without turning around to look at him. "Then I guess all that's left is for _me_ to go inside."

He came up behind her and rested his hand on her back. "They created this room for you, you know."

She smiled softly. "I know." She turned the handle and opened the hatch.

Laura stepped in, leaving her parents to move forward into the hatchway, and she exhaled loudly as they looked inside.

The only light in the chapel was cast by the candles that were always lit, but enough were burning so that they could clearly see the eleven banners that hung from the wall behind the altar. Only one—the banner of Sagitarron—was missing.

Lee noticed this right away and began to look for where it could be. He didn't have to look far. The banner was draped over a figure that laid on top of the altar.

Laura spoke softly, going further inside. "It really does look like a tomb."

"Kara?" Lee whispered, stepping in as well. "On Kobol, the statue where we placed the arrow that opened the tomb……..that was the archer, right?"

"Yeah, the symbol of Sagitarron." She answered simply, not knowing what he was getting at. It was only when she saw the banner-draped figure on the altar that she began to understand. "And Dee was from Sagitarron."

Father Monseau spoke from behind them, still in the corridor. "_…….in the final battle for the child's soul, the wise one was struck down…………."_

Lee shuddered as he remembered the passage. _"……… the oracle took the child to mourn the goddess………_"

Kara continued where he had left off. "_……….there, she opened the tomb and showed her family the way of the true path……."_

"………_the one that led to Earth." _Monseau finished, closing his eyes and folding his hands. "The prophecy says she shows her _family_ the way to Earth—not her friendly neighborhood priest—so I'll stay right here in the hallway." He slowly shut the hatch, leaving them alone inside.

Kara and Lee stared at the now-closed door, as Laura made her way to the front of the chapel. She stopped and gazed at the metal Arrow of Apollo resting in its glass case. "People won't find what they're looking for in iron statues or rusted arrows, they'll only find it in other people. Isn't that what you once told me, Mom?"

"Well, I don't remember it being that profound when I said it, and I think you paraphrased a bit," Kara came closer to her. "But that sounds about right."

Laura then walked to the altar and stood in front of it. "_Living_……" The tears caused her to choke on her words as she gently touched the fabric of the banner hanging off the side. "……_breathing_…… proof that the gods exist."

She reached over and pulled the cloth back, revealing Dualla lying motionless in her gauzy white funeral gown. She hung her head and started to cry, running a hand through Dee's hair. "I wish you hadn't had to do this." Laura told her, a sad smile on her lips. "But thank you for doing it just the same."

Kara's heart broke at the scene. She suddenly felt weak and faltered where she stood, taking a step back. Lee grabbed her hand and steadied her, calling for Laura to help him. Laura ran back over to them and they made their way to the nearest pew.

"I'm okay," Kara began, sitting down. "I'm just feeling a little—."

"Tired." Laura finished, kneeling in front of her. "We all are. It's been a weird day."

"I'm sorry." Kara cradled her forehead in her palm as Lee sat down next to her and rubbed her back.

"No worries." Laura smirked. "You'll feel a lot better in a minute…………just close your eyes."

* * *

"Lee?" 

"Yeah, Kara?"

"Where are we?"

Lee opened his eyes to find that he was still sitting next to Kara. But the chapel had been replaced by a warm and sun-lit room, and the pew had been replaced by two chairs surrounding a table.

He looked around the room and catalogued the items in it. "Let's see….stove, oven, refrigerator……I'm not sure, but I think we're in a kitchen."

Kara hauled her hand back and punched him hard in the arm. "Does this seem like the right time for you to be getting smart with me?"

He grimaced and rubbed his arm, but then chuckled. "I thought the bullet wound in your shoulder would give me a reprieve from being hit by you."

Kara looked down at her shoulder. "There _isn't_ one."

Lee looked at it too and found that her shoulder no longer had any hint of injury; no wound, no blood. He touched the skin gingerly.

At the same time, she reached up and touched his neck. "Your bruises are gone too."

He rolled his neck and felt no pain. "How do you feel?"

She shrugged. "I feel fine. No worries." She looked around the kitchen. "You never did answer me. Where are we?"

"At the risk of getting hit some more," He rose from his chair. "My answer remains the same."

"A kitchen." Kara stated, rising as well. "Okay, but _whose_ kitchen? Your mother's again?"

Lee walked to the sink, which was full of dishes, and then to the stove which held a pot of cold oatmeal. "I don't think so. My mother's kitchen was blue, this one's yellow." He looked into the dirty pot. "And my mother's kitchen was……. a lot _cleaner_."

"Lee?" She walked to the edge of the counter and looked down. "I think……I think this is _our_ kitchen."

"Our kitchen?" He repeated doubtfully. "Kara, we've never even _seen_ this place before." He paused when she looked up at him in irritation. "Okay,_ fine_. What makes you think that this is _our_ kitchen?"

She looked down again as she answered him. "Because this is Boy's dish." Her foot nudged the balloon-shaped dish of cat food on the floor.

Lee was about to disagree with her when he felt something rub up against his leg. Smiling, he leaned down and took the furry creature in his arms, earning a small meow in response. "And this is Boy."

Kara came over and rubbed the cat behind his ears. "He's gotten fat."

Lee chuckled and glanced around the room. "You know, I think you're right, this must be our kitchen. I can't think of anybody else who'd let it get this messy."

She smiled and walked to the refrigerator. "I'd hit you again, but I'm afraid you'd drop the cat." She examined some artwork that was taped up on the door. "These are Laura's drawings."

Lee came up beside her and saw them. "The one she drew for Duck, the one she drew for Nurse Coaker." He stopped when he looked at a third picture. It was of a white sand beach with blue-green water and palm trees. "This is a different than the other two, and it says '_Laura's Ocean_'on the bottom…….I don't remember her drawing this one."

"Or this one." Kara said, pointing to the fourth, which showed two stick figures on top of a large mountain range surrounded by a purple sky.

Lee deposited the cat on the counter and took the drawing off the refrigerator, not recognizing the landscape. "Are those the Atlas mountains? On Picon?"

"I don't think so." Kara shook her head. "The mountains in this picture are a lot rockier."

"Maybe that's why they're called the Rockies." Laura said simply from the doorway behind them.

Kara turned around, not surprised to see her. "Hi, baby."

"Hi, Mom."

"I've never heard of the Rockies." Lee told her as he looked closer at the drawing.

Laura walked over to the counter to pick up Boy and nuzzled him in her arms. "No reason you should have…..._yet_."

Lee turned around, smiling in relief at her presence. "Do you know where we are?"

A mischievous gleam flashed in her eyes. "I'm not sure, but I think we're in a kitchen."

Kara snorted in laughter and crinkled her nose up at Lee. "She's more like you than you will ever know."

He leaned against the refrigerator. "You were supposed to lead us to Earth…..are we on Earth?"

Laura furrowed her eyebrows. "No, Dad. We're in the chapel. The one that's holding Dee's body? On Galactica?" She walked to him and snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "Do you know who I am? Do you know who _you _are?"

He chuckled and grabbed her hand. "Was your divine, ultimate purpose to be a smartass? Because if so, you're definitely fulfilling it."

"We're not really here?" Kara asked hesitantly, trying to understand.

Laura shook her head.. "No, we're not _really_ here, but that doesn't matter, because we will be………soon." She then gleamed at Lee. "And yeah, it is Earth. This is our home………this _will _be our home."

"Our home?" Kara laughed in amazement, looking around. "We have a home."

Laura put Boy back on the counter. "You want a tour?"

* * *

She led them out of the kitchen and into a room at the front of the house with doors on opposite sides. One of the doors was large, made of heavy wood and in between two windows. Lee and Kara looked through the windows out onto a front yard and saw a mailbox and a cobblestone path leading up to the house. 

Lee and Kara hestitated at the door, causing Laura to stop and turn around. "What are you doing?"

Lee pointed at the door. "Aren't we going outside?"

"Why would we?" Laura opened the door on the other side of the room and went through it, calling after them. "The important stuff is _inside_."

They followed her without question down a long hallway, until something Kara saw on the wall caused her to stop in her tracks. "My gods."

Lee stopped too. "What is it?"

Kara pointed to what had gotten her attention: a photo of the Admiral that hung on the wall. He was standing knee-deep in an emerald ocean, with the sun shining high behind him in a cloudless blue sky. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and he had a serene smile on his face.

"I don't think I've ever seen your dad wear anything other than a uniform." Kara laughed.

"It helps that he's not in the military anymore." Laura chuckled too. "He retired a few months after we got here."

Lee looked around at the other photos that lined the wall.

Some he recognized: he saw the worn and bent photo of him and Kara at the academy with Zak. And the double frame that held the picture of Helo and Boomer at the decommissioning ceremony along with the picture of Laura and President Roslin that was taken at the confirmation of faith.

But some photos were new: there was one of him and Kara embracing each other as they stood at the crest of a mountain, the purple sky their only background. He pointed to it and turned to Laura. "Are these the—?"

"Rockies." She confirmed. "The two of you go to Colorado twice a year to teach seminars on _Advancements in Aeronautics _and _Combat Training_ at the Air Force Academy." She winked at Kara. "And yes, Mom, even on _this_ planet you're the best pilot anyone's ever seen."

"Naturally." Kara winked back before returning her attention to the photos on the wall. She was surprised to find one of the Chief and Cally—also dressed in civilian clothes—kneeling in the grass as Tyrol showed a small girl a butterfly that he held in his hands. The girl was strikingly beautiful; she had a light coffee-skinned complexion, green eyes and a head full of black curls.

"Who's the little girl with Tyrol and Cally?" Kara asked. "She's absolutely gorgeous."

"That's Cassie." Laura replied. "She's your godsdaughter. She's Dee's daughter."

Both Lee and Kara turned to Laura at the same time, eyes wide in shock.

"Dee can't have a daughter." Lee informed her carefully. "Dee's dead, sweetheart"

Laura just grinned knowingly. "Yeah, there are ways around that."

"You mean she's not—?"

"It was the _willingness_ to make the sacrifice that was required, not the _actual _sacrifice. So it didn't have to be permanent." Laura shook her head in amusement. "It would have been nice if they'd told us that beforehand, but I guess it wouldn't have seemed like much of a selfless act if we'd known she'd just wake up in the chapel good-as-new."

Lee smiled and Kara laughed in relief. "Dee's alive……and she and Billy have a daughter."

"No." Laura corrected. "Dee has a daughter, Billy has a son."

Confusion masked Lee and Kara's faces at the correction.

Laura gestured to her parents. "Not everyone is lucky enough to have a love so meant-to-be that was prophesized in scripture three thousand years before it happened."

"Dee and Billy aren't together?"

"No, they aren't. They're still friends and they're both really happy, but Billy married a woman who'd been living on the Virgon Express, and Dee……." Laura paused, chuckling. "Dee actually married an Earthling. She met him about a year after we got here."

Lee shook his head. "I just can't believe it."

"Why, Dad? Nothing stays the same." Laura told him softly. "We're living in a whole new world_, literally_. You hold on to what you had before, and you carry it with you forever, but you have to embrace what comes next." She laughed and moved further down the hallway. "Don't even get me started on the Tighs."

Kara laughed too, walking after her. "It's not surprising that they got a divorce."

"Actually, they just renewed their vows." Laura snorted. "Apparently they really _do_ love each other. Although, I think their love is better when it comes in small doses. She lives on the twelfth floor of their apartment building……….. he lives on the eighth."

They followed her to the end of the hallway and entered a bright and airy living room. There was a white-brick fireplace in the center of one wall, and the whole other side of the room was lined with tall windows.

The walls were painted a light blue and dotted with framed oil paintings. Overstuffed sofas and armchairs were covered with pillows and blankets and carelessly flung items of clothing. Laura's often-used children's book of scripture was left open on one of the cushions.

One corner of the room held a table that had been set with many candles and prayer beads and the cast iron statues of the gods that Kara had given to Laura.

The other corner, closer to the back door by the windows, had been set up with an easel and a side table that held cans of paint and many brushes. A splattered tarp was laid out on the floor beneath it.

"I'm painting again." Kara whispered, walking to the easel and gently touching the canvas. "I never thought I'd paint again."

Laura came beside her and examined the work of art before them. "Not as morose as some of the stuff you painted before."

Kara looked around the room that radiated safety and comfort, and she smiled. "Something tells me that I'm much happier now." She looked back to the painting again—it was a mass of brightly colored swirls—and her smile grew wider at what she'd created. "This is a painting of _you_, Laura."

Lee scratched his head in confusion. "I know I'm not an expert in abstract art, but how exactly is that a painting of our daughter? It's just a big bright blob."

Laura answered for her, smiling at them both. "That's how she's always seen me, Dad. Ever since that first day, she's seen me for what I really am: a big bright blob of energy."

Kara felt her eyes well up. "That's right."

Lee had moved away from the painting and was looking through the large picture windows to the open land outside. The scene before him was a simple one: a large green field of tall grass that was untouched by anything but the sky for what seemed like miles.

Laura moved behind him and whispered in his ear. "Like the view?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful." He nodded. "Although, I gotta say, I never imagined myself as the type who would live in the middle of nowhere."

"Trust me, Dad, it's _not_ the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah, I know, I know." His eyes took in the wild and pristine expanse that lay outside. "It's just that I'm more of a city boy. This isn't where I would picture buying a house."

"You _didn't _buy this house. You _built_ it. There was nothing here but the field when you bought the land, which is why you bought it." She stared at him in amazement for a long moment. "You really don't recognize it, do you?" She looked out the window again and shrugged. "Well…..I guess it does look different in the daylight."

Her words sunk in and realization came down on him softly. He touched the windowpane. "Holy mother of the gods."

"You can still see the stars at night, though." Laura continued, smiling at him. "Just as clear as the first time you stood out there."

Kara came to the window too. "On Kobol. This is the field we saw when we were in the tomb."

"What you saw in the tomb was _real_; you just needed to look a little further. _This_ is where we were always destined to end up." Laura told them, gesturing around the room. "Not this house, not this field, not even Earth. But _this life_ that we created together in this house, in this field…….on Earth. _This_ is our salvation. And it's what I was supposed to show you."

Lee took her hand, his eyes pleading. "So show us how we can get here."

She shook her head. "I have to show you something _else_ first." She gestured across the room. "There's something we have to take care of before we can start our journey."

Lee turned to face what she was gesturing to. A fire was burning in the fireplace on the other side of the room and he made his way over to it. Kara gasped as she stood next to him and saw what he saw.

Twelve framed photographs sat on the mantle.

"Twelve little Cylons, all in a row." Laura hummed, moving to stand beside the fireplace.

Lee stared in disbelief at what was in front of him. "It would have taken us years to weed all of them out."

"But we don't have that kind of time." Laura chuckled. "So things have been expedited a bit."

"Every human-model Cylon?" He asked. "This is all of them?"

"Every single one." Laura confirmed. "Some you know about." She pointed to the photo of Sharon, Leoben, Doral, Six and Simon. Then she moved on to some of the others. "Some you don't."

"I know this one, he's a priest on the Ethereal Dawn." Kara said, referring to the first picture of the unknown Cylons. "He was there with Father Monseau at your confirmation of faith."

"Brother Cavil is his name." Laura told her. "In all fairness, he _is_ a man of faith. He's just faithful to the Cylon God, is all."

"D'anna Biers." Lee stated, moving on to the next frame, holding a photograph of the fleet reporter.

"Son of a bitch." Kara hissed, looking at it, then at Lee. "I should've known something was up with her. No _human_ woman could've kept her journalistic professionalism in tact when faced with you wearing nothing but a towel."

Lee chuckled at the remark and then pointed to the next photo of a dark-haired beauty in a business suit. "I've seen that woman at Quorum meetings. She's the special assistant to the representative from Aerilon." He paused and glanced at Laura. "But I can't remember her name."

"Her name's Tory Foster, and she's advanced quickly in the political world through some less-than-scrupulous means." Laura said sarcastically. "You'll need to tell the Aerilon delegate that he shouldn't frak his assistant, it tends to give her undue influence over the decisions that he makes."

"Like being the only other person who voted to keep Baltar in office." Lee nodded. "Aerilon must've been the other holdout."

"She told him how to vote, and then she gave him a little present to give to the President, which the President in turn gave to a little Cylon-human hybrid baby as a confirmation gift."

"Your Aerilon Chiefs bear." Kara said, remembering where the toy had come from.

"The one that had a transponder in it." Laura added. "A microscopic chip inside one of the glass eyes that relayed our position."

Lee crossed his arms in front of his chest. "So the eye _didn't_ fall off and accidentally shatter."

Laura chuckled. "It fell off when I _ripped_ it off, and it _accidentally_ shattered after I smashed it with a hammer a few times."

Kara had moved on to the next two photos. "Nurse Coaker and Maya Knowlton." She whispered sadly. "I liked them both; they seemed like such nice women."

"Nurse Coaker _was_ a nice woman. She took her own life rather than betray us further, and because of that, she's in a good place now." Laura smiled sweetly at the nurse's photo. But her expression soured when she looked at the other photo. "This other one was a manipulative shrew who _pretended_ to be a nice woman so she could lead me into a trap."

"Trying to steal my child..." Kara replied without heistation. "I'm glad I shot her."

Laura motioned for them to continue. "There's just two left."

Lee felt his hand clench into an angry fist when he looked at the photo that she pointed to next. "The traitor on Galactica." He seethed, the face of an old friend grinning back at him. "We all trusted him…..and now I'm gonna kill him with my bare hands."

"You won't have to, Lee." Kara laid a soothing hand on his shoulder, staring at the familiar face. "When your father finds out who it is, he'll do it for you."

"This copy of Model Number Four was particularly devious," Laura agreed. "He gained everyone's trust, became everyone's friend, and used it against us every chance he got. He always took immense pleasure in causing us pain." She paused as the anger inside her took over for a moment. "And the motherfrakker poisoned my cat……………so don't think twice about tossing him out the airlock."

"We won't." Lee moved on to the last photo of a man that seemed fairly familiar to him. His heart dropped in his chest when he finally recognized who it was and he quickly took the frame off the mantle, trying to hide it from view.

Kara noticed this odd gesture and stared at him questioningly. "Who is it, Lee? Who is the last Cylon?"

Lee took a deep breath and then began softly, carefully. "I've seen the face before, I recognize it." He exhaled and continued. "From magazines………_sports_ magazines."

Kara slowly reached out to take the frame from him and closed her eyes. "Oh my gods." When she opened them, she saw the handsome man in the photo and sobbed. "Sam." She walked a few steps away and braced herself against the wall, crying quietly with the photo in her hand.

"Kara, it's okay." Lee told her sympathetically. "They all frakked with our heads. It's okay to feel hurt that you were deceived, and it's okay to feel angry that he deceived you."

"She doesn't feel hurt or angry, Dad." Laura informed him, knowing what was happening with her mother. "Because she knows that he didn't deceive her."

"He was a sleeper agent, he had to have been." Kara nodded to herself, looking at the photo. "He didn't know what he was."

"So no one else would have ever known, either. At least not until he had been activated." Laura turned to her father so that she could explain. "She's crying out of relief, Dad."

"Why?" He whispered, staring at his wife.

Kara walked to him and touched his chest. "I've been so happy with you, happier than I ever thought I deserved to be. And I love you more than any other man I've ever known." She then looked to the picture again. "But I've carried this guilt with me, because I _have_ loved other men. And I broke a promise to one of them."

"She's relieved because she doesn't have to feel that guilt anymore." Laura explained further. "She can let it go."

"I don't have to feel guilty for loving you, for choosing to have a life with you instead of trying to go back for him." Kara said tenderly, staring deep into his eyes. "Because if I had gone back for him—"

"—she just would've brought another Cylon time bomb into the fleet." Laura finished for her. "And you don't have to feel bad for _leaving_ him there, either." She informed Kara. "He was programmed to make sure that you got off Caprica, to make sure that you made it back to the fleet with me in tow, so that we could find our way to Earth."

Kara and Lee both suddenly turned to her at the last statement.

"You mean the Cylons want us to find Earth?" Lee asked in bewilderment. "Why?"

Laura took the picture of Anders from her mother and then began picking up the other frames on the mantle, removing the backs of them. "Certainly not so they could settle there and exist harmoniously with the last remaining tribe of humans." She snorted, gathering the photos out of the frames. "The Cylons see humanity as a cancer infecting the universe, and they want to cure the disease."

"The Cylons wanted us to find Earth so that they could follow us there and destroy it?" Kara rasped.

"Yes. The Cylons have a plan." Laura threw the photos of the Cylons into the blazing fireplace and watched them burn. "But they underestimated the human variable. And we've never had much use for plans, have we? So we're gonna alter it. A lot."

"How will we do that?" Lee questioned, uncertainty and fear in his voice.

Laura picked up a piece of paper that had been resting on the edge of the mantle and handed it to her father. "Give this to CIC. The signal that was disrupting communication and dradis before didn't _stop_, we just paused it for a while. And the Cylons are still tapped into it, but this time, when you use the instructions that I just gave you to resume it for a split second, _something else_ will be transmitted back to them through the signal."

"Like a virus?" Lee asked, looking at a long string of code that had been written out on the paper.

Laura nodded. "Every Cylon vessel within a fifty light year radius will self destruct when you upload it."

Kara looked at the paper in Lee's hand and pointed to a long list of names at the bottom. "These are names of ships in the fleet……and directions to specific locations inside those ships."

"The locations of all remaining Cylon transponders and Cylon agents." Laura explained. "The virus should take care of things, but we like to cover our bases." She winked at them. "Without the resurrection ship, when you execute all the human-model Cylons left in the fleet, they won't download. And when you remove all the transponders, even the Cylon vessels that were further away and survived the virus will have no hope of tracking us, because they'll have no agents to tell them anything, and no devices left to give our position."

"We'll be safe?" Kara asked hopefully. "And Earth will be too?"

"The Cylons can't destroy Earth if they can't _find_ it." Laura smiled widely. "The fleet won't lead them anywhere, because we'll be long gone and the Cylons will have absolutely no idea how to get to where we're going."

Lee smiled back. "Because only you know that."

Laura stopped smiling, pursed her lips and shook her head. "Actually, I don't."

* * *

Lee gulped, sure that he must have heard her wrong. "Of course you know the way to Earth." 

"No. I don't."

Kara stepped in, equally as confused as her husband. "But Laura, the scriptures said…………"

"The scriptures said I would open the door and show my family the way of the true path," Laura informed her. "And that's what I did, that's what I'm doing. I'm showing you the true path, but now you have to follow it to its end."

Lee dropped his head and sighed dejectedly, so she took his hand.

"I couldn't know the way to Earth, Dad." She explained. "I'm part Cylon. If I would've known Earth's location, the Cylons might have been able to access it. And billions of lives were at stake, so that could _never_ happen. That was made sure of long ago. The vital piece of information missing from the Cylon's plan……… is that I don't have the knowledge to lead _anyone_ to Earth."

"Then who does?" Kara questioned.

Laura turned to her and smiled. "It's funny you should ask that, but I think you already know."

"Laura, sweetheart, I know you're scripturally bound to talk to us in riddles." Lee groaned and rubbed his temples. "But you know how that makes me crazy."

"It'd actually be quite obvious to you both if you would just believe in yourselves long enough to clear the fog." Laura chuckled. "Come on, guys! There's been something running through your minds since that first day in sickbay. You tell me what it is and I can help you."

Kara shook her head, instinctively knowing what she was talking about as the list of nonsense words that had been repeatedly popping up in her life echoed in her ears. She knew, but she couldn't bring herself to believe. "It's nothing."

"It's _not_ nothing."

"Laura, its just gibberish." Lee told her, his voice getting louder as he grew exasperated. "They're just words that I've never heard before, that _nobody's_ ever heard before! They don't mean anything."

"Stop being so frakking stubborn," She stated firmly, exasperated as well. "Because trust me, they mean something."

Lee shook his head. "No, Laura. This is not—."

"Tell me the words, Dad!" She shouted.

"Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn…………" He shouted back at her.

"Neptune, Uranus and Pluto." Kara softly finished for him, sinking into the arm of the nearby sofa in awed understanding.

Lee's mouth gaped open as he looked at his wife. "You've been hearing them too?"

"Ever since the day she was born." Kara answered, tracing the lines on her forehead. "I thought I was crazy, because I didn't know what they were, and nothing else could tell me." She finally looked up at her daughter. "What are they, Laura?"

Laura smiled reverently. "They're the gods, Mom."

Kara narrowed her eyes. "Those aren't the names of the gods, sweetheart."

"Yes, they are." Laura nodded. "Long ago, some people used to call our gods by different names."

"What people?" Lee asked.

Laura smiled again. "People that lived on Earth."

"So how does knowing that help us get to Earth?"

"Because they're not just the names of the gods, Lee." Kara told him, all the pieces falling together. "They're also the names of _planets_. The people who lived on Earth named the planets in their solar system after the gods."

Lee walked to her, the knowledge that had been hiding in the back of their minds suddenly flooding to the front of it. "There are nine planets surrounding one large yellow dwarf sun—."

Kara nodded and grinned. "And Earth is the third planet."

"But……" Laura started. "If you're going to find one particular spot in our incredibly big galaxy, a planetarium exhibit and an arcane book of scripture is not enough. You need coordinates, vectors, points of reference." She winked at Lee. "Don't you, Dad?"

"Earth is located 2,823 light years from the position Galactica is in now." Lee informed Laura, grinning back at her as he took Kara's hand and pulled her off the couch.

Kara continued, not missing a beat as she put her hand on his chest. "Direction heading 974 carom 2635."

Lee cupped her face in his hands, laughing softly. "And it will take 1,178 interstellar FTL jumps to get there."

Kara kissed him gently, giggling with relief.

"It took the Thirteenth tribe forty years of wandering the galaxy to find their new home," Laura told them, doing the math. "But the fleet might be able to do it in eight or nine months."

Lee turned to her, pride lighting up his face. "How do we thank you for doing this?"

"You don't, I really didn't do all that much." She stated humbly. "You always had it in you, I just opened the door and you finally saw the way."

"We couldn't have done it without you." Kara gratefully assured her.

"Well, there are a lot of things I could never have done without you. So I guess we're even." Laura's eyes shone with tears. "You'll be able to get there without any trouble now." She paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and nodded to herself. "So that means it's time for me to go."

* * *

The happiness fell from Lee and Kara's faces at hearing her words. Kara's hand clenched the fabric of Lee's shirt and he shook his head in denial. "What do you mean it's time for you to _go_?" 

"I have to go now." Laura explained gently, grasping her hands together. "It was the unspoken truth that we never wanted to face……..but we all knew this wasn't gonna last." She paused when both her parents screwed their eyes shut in denial. "It was a temporary miracle, but now it's time for me to move on."

Kara looked at Lee, her whole body pleading with him to make this stop. When she faced her daughter again, her words were firm, but her voice was a breathless croak. "Like hell you are, you're going with us."

"I _won't_ be going with you, that's not why I was created." Laura responded softly. "Some people are only meant for the journey, and I'm fine with being one of them." She bit her bottom lip. "I've always known that my life was never about the destination."

Lee's breath escaped in sharp bursts and his eyes filled with tears. "You said this would be _our home_. How is this place ever gonna be our home if you're not here with us?"

Laura stood in front of him and laughed out loud, tracing the insignia on his collar. "It will be our home because you're gonna hang a dorky sign above the front door that says '**The Adamas Live Here'**," Her breath hitched, and she steadied herself. "And no matter what plane of existence I'm on, I'm always gonna be an Adama. You've both spent my whole life making sure that everyone knew that."

Kara couldn't even look at her. "We were told that if we fought for you, you'd be safe, and you'd stay with us forever."

Laura reached out to guide Kara's face back to hers. "I _am _safe. And someday soon you'll understand that just because you can't see someone, it doesn't mean that they aren't there with you."

Kara started to cry outright and held onto Lee's hand like it was the only thing keeping her upright. "Do something." She whispered to him.

Lee squeezed Kara's hand and pointed at Laura. "You're not going, that's all there is to it. I won't allow it."

Laura didn't move, or change expression. "Then it's a good thing it's not up to you."

"No, we don't want this……take it all back." Kara almost shouted, gesturing around the room. "I don't care about this place. I don't care about finding Earth!"

"Yes, you do."

Kara let out a harsh sob. "Not if we have to give you up to get it."

Laura narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "That's not what this is about and you know it. You're not giving me up, and my going on to the next place is not about them wanting something in return. I'm not a sacrificial offering and this is not a trade ………….it's just the way it is."

"Please don't go." Lee pleaded with her like a devastated child. "I'm your father, and I'm begging you not to go."

Laura's resolve faltered for a moment and a tear fell from her eye. "I have to. There isn't any reason for me to stay now." She took a deep breath and continued on determinedly. "Everyone in this room has become what they were always meant to become, and that was my purpose. Finding Earth was just a by-product."

"But I never wanted this for you." Kara cried softly, taking Laura in her arms and holding her tight. "I never wanted your life to just be about serving a purpose. I wanted you to be whatever you wanted to be."

"I _am_ what I want to be." Laura responded, comforting her by stroking her hair. "I wanted to do this. I may be a child of destiny, but it was one that I chose with a willing heart." She pulled back and smiled appreciatively. "I've had a good life, and serving my purpose was my way of thanking you for giving it to me."

Kara cupped Laura's face. "How could you have had a good life if you haven't even been alive for two years?"

"Because what you told President Roslin was true, Mom: It's not the length of time that matters." She put her hand over her mother's. "In everyone's life, you take what you can get, and you pray that it's enough. But it some people's lives, what you get turns out to be—."

"—more than you ever expected." Lee finished for her, finally accepting what would come next.

Laura looked out the window to a sun that was slowly dropping in the sky and she began to move away. "It's getting to be that time, I have to go meet them now."

Lee reached out and gently grabbed her arm, stopping her. "You make them take good care of you." He spoke, barely able to get the words out.

She wiped the wetness from his face. "They will. They know you and Mom will somehow find a way to kick their asses if they don't." She kissed both of their cheeks. "Now wish me a safe trip and tell me you love me."

………_..we pray that when the time comes, you will be able to let her go as all parents must……secure in the knowledge that she is loved…….now, then and always thereafter………._

"We do." Lee whispered, smiling sadly. "You know we do."

"I don't know how two frak-ups like us managed to raise someone as amazing as you." Kara told her in adoration. "But I want you to know that the best thing to ever happen to me was the chance to be your mother."

"Well….. if you liked that." Laura said cryptically, but practically bursting with pride. "You'll definitely like what we've given you as a reward for your faithful service."

Kara quirked her eyebrows. "Oh yeah, what's my reward?"

"Mommy? Daddy?" A little voice cried out from another room. "I'm up from my nap now."

Kara stopped breathing at the gentle sound and gave Laura a questioning look.

But Laura just smiled back at her. "You better go get him; he's up from his nap now." She began to walk to the door that led outside to the field.

Lee hadn't heard the voice since his mind was still reeling as he tried to force himself to let Laura walk away. His gaze followed her and he turned toward the back door, but his attention was drawn to the floor when he noticed that he had stepped on something. "Sweetheart?" He reached down to pick up the heavily-worn toy bear with one eye, wearing a small Aerilon Chiefs jersey. "This is yours." Lee said, looking back at Laura.

"Actually, it _was_ mine." She turned with her hand on the doorknob and pointed toward the other room. "But it's _his_ now. You gave it to him so that he could have something of his sister's."

Again the little voice called out. "Mommy?"

Kara had been looking over to the other side of the room, to a closed door that the voice had come through. She startled when it opened and a little blond-haired, blue-eyed boy came out, looking at them curiously.

"Whya guys wearing your old uniforms?" He asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Is it Halloween?"

Lee turned at the sound of the questioning voice, to the little person that the voice belonged to, and then looked to Kara for confirmation that she saw him too. Their eyes were wide and their mouths were hanging open, not believing that any of this could be happening, that any of this could be real, when the little boy trotted over to Lee and took the bear from him, squeezing it in his arms.

He noticed Laura and gave her a toothy grin. "Hi, Laura."

"Hey, sweetheart." She smiled back, leaning against the door.

"Am I still asleep?" The little boy asked her, confusion drawn on his innocent face. "Grandpa and Father Monseau said that I could only see you when I was dreaming."

"Well, it _is_ a dream." Laura laughed heartily, winking at him and pointing to their parents. "But it's Mom and Dad who are asleep."

"Really?" He looked over at Kara, then back at Lee, and giggled. "Cool."

Lee knelt down so that they were face to face, tentatively reaching out to see if the child was an illusion, and was met with warmth coming off the boy's skin.

At his father's touch on his shoulder, the boy smiled back at him. "Hi, Daddy."

He looked like Laura, only not really—he was pale and fair-haired while Laura had been darker—but he had the same blue eyes, and the same killer grin.

Lee dropped his hand down to touch something hanging from the boy's neck: a chain with a set of dogtags on it. He smiled when he read the inscription, and looked back up into the little boy's blue eyes. "Hi………._Zak_."

"Yeah." Laura whispered to herself, looking at the father and son. She smiled at them before she opened the door and then spoke one last time. "That sure is one lucky kid."

Lee stood back up and watched the daughter that he loved more than anything walk through the door and into her new life. He stared after her until she faded in the distance, and then turned back to Kara.

She was standing there, smiling with tears running down her face and a protective hand covering her belly. She looked up at him and caught his gaze.

And in that instant, Lee knew. Kara had become a mother.

* * *

"Starbuck? Apollo? Guys, can you hear me?" 

The voice kept getting louder as the white light in their eyes began to recede.

"Starbuck?"

"Don't call me Starbuck, Laura." Kara mumbled as she came to partial lucidity. "My name is Mama."

"Charge to 220, CLEAR!" She heard another voice shout.

When Kara opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Lee. She was lying on a bed in sickbay, and he was on the bed next to it. His eyes opened and met hers at the same moment. "What's going on?"

They heard Dee's voice. "I found the three of you when I woke up in the chapel."

Kara and Lee sat up and turned to her in amazement; she stood between their beds, still dressed in her funeral gown. "Dee, my gods."

"I can't explain it, but I'm alive." Dee stuttered, touching her healed abdomen. "I don't think it was ever part of the plan for me to stay dead very long." She then set a tortured gaze over to another part of sickbay. "You were both just knocked out, but Laura wasn't breathing, so I shouted for help."

"Where is she?" Lee looked around until he saw two medics and Doc Cottle standing over a table, a pair of bare feet dangling off the end. He got off the bed and ran over to them with Kara close behind. He thought his whole body was going to shatter when he saw Laura unmoving on the table. "What's going on? What's happening with her?"

Cottle sighed in frenzied frustration. "We're working on her, but her heart's not beating."

"How long?" Kara asked desperately. "How long has she been like this?"

"Twenty-five minutes since we found her." Cottle answered. "Charge it again." He told one of the medics that was holding the paddles of the crash cart.

"Charging to 250." The medic said. "CLEAR!" Everyone stood away as he shocked her again.

"DAMN IT!" Cottle shouted, looking at the flatline that remained on the heart monitor. "She's not responding to anything, hasn't been since we found her."

"She looks cold, Lee." Kara whispered softly, looking down at her daughter. "Her body looks cold."

"She has no vitals, Doctor." Another medic told Cottle as he continued to give her CPR. "No respiration, no brain activity, no……." The medic looked up at Kara and Lee, who had not moved their eyes from Laura's body, and decided not to finish his statement.

Lee came up and touched Laura's foot. Touched it as though it were a religious artifact, completely worthy of worship.

"Nothing seems to be working." Cottle frantically turned to Lee and Kara. "I need to crack open her chest." Not even waiting for them to respond, he turned back to the medic. "Sterilize her as much as you can and get me a scalpel and rib spreader. I've got to massage her heart back to where it's pumping again."

_I won't be going with you…………. I've always known that my life was never about the destination._

It was the hardest thing Kara had ever done, but she accepted her daughter's words as the truth.

"No." She whispered, her response being hindered by an agonized but resigned sob. "You can stop."

Cottle stilled at her command. "Captain," He pleaded with her. "We could still—."

Kara touched her previously wounded shoulder, still without injury, and looked up at Laura's now unbandaged forehead. "Don't you see it? She's healed all of us. She's even healed herself." She replied numbly, staring down at Laura's perfect form. "She's as perfect as the day she came to us. There's nothing wrong with her body…………. she's just _not in it anymore_. And I don't want you opening up my child—desecrating her—just to do something that isn't going to bring her back." She began to cry. "She's gone. We _know_ she's gone…… you can let her go."

Cottle face fell and he waited for Lee, who stood there frozen in pain, to argue. But Lee closed his eyes and nodded in agreement. "We've already said our goodbyes, we just……we just want to touch her one last time."

The medics looked at each other and then to Cottle, whose whole body slumped in defeat, but he gestured for them to stop. They all set aside their equipment and moved away to make room for the grieving parents.

Kara moved over to one side of Laura as Lee moved to the other, gazing down at her face.

Lee heard Father Monseau's voice from the corner of the room. "Lords of Kobol, hear our prayer. Take the soul of your dearly beloved servant, Laura Adama, into your hands."

He glanced back to see that Cottle was now attending to a freshly-revived Corporal Townsend, and then his line of sight moved to the corner of the room where the priest was praying. Dee was sitting in a chair next to the Admiral, softly crying with her head on his shoulder.

Adama looked up and locked eyes with his son. He was crying too, but his eyes were clear and full of understanding. He gave Lee a heartbreaking smile and just nodded in acceptance, then went back to gently petting the cat that laid in his lap.

Lee opened his hand to find the instructions that Laura had given him clasped inside, and he heard the coordinates and now-meaningful planet names repeating in his head.

He turned his attention back to his wife and child. Kara held Laura's lifeless hand in hers and was stroking it gently, but she still had the other hand placed on her belly. Lee reached over and placed his hand over hers and Laura's.

He looked to Kara's belly and then up to her eyes. "Yeah?" He questioned, asking after his other child.

Kara nodded and a tear fell down her cheek. "Yeah." She answered with a bittersweet smile.

Lee leaned down and placed one last kiss on Laura's forehead.

* * *

Lee looked across the desk to where his father sat. The last time Lee had seen him this anguished was at his brother's funeral, and all he could feel then was anger and blame. But the slate was wiped clean now, because they both knew what it was like to lose a child. And all he felt now was the exact same heartbreak he saw in his father's eyes. 

"What do you want do with her?" Adama asked softly. "Memorial service? State funeral?"

"No." Kara answered simply, sitting next to Lee. "People don't need to say out loud all the things that they felt for her. It was enough that they felt them."

"So what should we do?" Lee exhaled, looking between them. "How should we put her to rest?"

"Cremate her body. We'll keep the ashes until………..until we get _home_." Kara closed her eyes. "She deserves to be put to rest on Earth."

Lee nodded in agreement. "We'll find a good place for her."

"Like an ocean?" Kara suggested. "She always said she'd like to go to an ocean."

Adama laughed to himself. "Her grandmother loved the ocean."

"Mom was terrified of the water." Lee pointed out.

"I wasn't talking about your mother." Adama stared at the book on his desk that he had retrieved from Laura's collection; the book that he had once given the _other_ Laura.

"So we'll find her an ocean." Lee said.

Adama looked up at him, remembering how the warm sun and gentle breeze had touched his face, and smiled knowingly. "I'll know the right place when I see it."

"Okay." Kara sighed. "So what now?"

"Now we have some other things to take care of." Adama admitted as he stood up. "We've already given the instructions that you had with you to our people, and we have marines being deployed to take care of the remaining Cylons and their hidden tracking devices. But leave all of that to us." He paused as he came around the desk and pointed to Kara's belly. "You are to report to Cottle for an exam." He then pointed to Lee. "You go with her."

"I want to go with you to take care of Model Number Four." Lee said firmly, rising from the chair.

Adama put a calming hand on his son's shoulder. "No. Your job is to take care of your family. And my job is to take care of mine." He felt the fury boil inside of him. "And trust me; I'll take care of Model Number Four personally."

* * *

The Admiral marched to CIC with President Keikeya striding beside him. When he entered, he looked to confirm that the guards he had assigned were in place, but off to the side until he needed them. 

"Attention, Admiral on deck!" Tigh shouted, and walked over to Adama, whispering quietly. "I made sure the Cylon stayed at its post."

Adama nodded in gratitude and then went without hesitation over to where Cylon Model Number Four stood. "Well, Number Four, I have to ask……..was it easy for you? To betray people who put their trust in you? Did you feel any regret at all, doing what you were doing?" He then gestured for the marines to come over and take their places before turning back to the traitor. "Or can an evil machine like you feel _anything_ at all?"

"I was in awe of you." The Cylon they once knew as Felix Gaeta replied coldly. "But I was in awe of your unrighteousness, and the arrogance that allowed you to believe you were worth saving." He smiled creepily. "So no, I felt no regret."

Adama nodded. "You'll feel it now."

"Do _you_ feel any regret?" Gaeta mocked. "Regret that you never noticed it before? I mean, leading the Cylons to you at Ragnar? Not sending the right coordinates to the fleet after Boomer shot you—I was the one that _activated_ her, by the way—and causing the other ships to get lost? Then '_saving the day_' with the networking that allowed the virus to get in?" He chuckled arrogantly. "So many little things that you never noticed—but so many _big_ things too. That's awfully bad leadership, isn't it………._Old Man_?" He said the last with derision. "I did everything short of wear a sign across my chest that said 'CYLON' and you never saw it. It's amazing how blind you humans can be when what's right under your nose is something that you don't want to see."

"I won't allow you to make me regret putting my trust in others." Adama told him firmly. "Trust is something that your kind will never understand. You may have blinded me before, but I see what you really are now. And what I see is a thing that is about to die. Really die."

"I don't care. It was enough to play my part in the plan to destroy you." Gaeta stood up straight and looked down at everyone in CIC. "You can send my soul to God."

"Oh, don't you know?" Adama smirked. "You'll never find your way back to your God now. He's been defeated—maybe not as a whole, but certainly in regards to this fleet." He paused as the marines cuffed Gaeta's hands behind his back. "We're leaving and you will never find us. Our story hasn't come to an end; the Cylons just aren't main characters anymore. You've been written out."

Tigh walked up beside the Admiral. "What should we do with him?"

"Use his computer terminal to upload the virus that will destroy his metal friends," Adama commanded and gestured to Billy. "Then after that, I defer to the orders of the President."

Billy just stood there glaring at Gaeta. "In the now immortal words of Laura Roslin: Put that thing out the airlock."

**To Be Ended…………….Go to the last chapter.**


	25. Ending

**Six Months Later—Cylon Occupied Caprica**

Two Cylons stood on the top floor of the Governmental Center in Caprica City and looked out the window onto the street below as centurions attempted to disperse a mob of human-model protesters.

"This was already lurking beneath the surface; losing track of the fleet was merely a catalyst." A copy of Number Four stated. "Our own kind is lashing out against us. They've begun to reject our guidance, individualize instead of conform, and question whether our mission is truly righteous."

"Then that makes them heretics." A copy of Number Six responded. "We should deal with them accordingly."

Number Four laughed. "You want to _box_ half of our population? Because that's what it'll come down to if we _deal with them accordingly_." He shook his head. "The discord is spreading like wildfire……..the war heroes carry a lot of weight."

"They're not war heroes. They're traitors." Six seethed glaring down to the chaos below them. "The Eight still insists on being called Boomer, and the Six—" She paused, her fingernails stinging as she dug them into her palm. "—is deluded by some misguided sense of love. I'm ashamed to be of the same model."

"The one who was known as Anders has now joined their movement." Four informed her.

"Another traitor."

"You can't be a traitor if you never accepted your true nature in the first place." He retorted. "He was so distraught when he realized what he was that he went through five bodies before he finally stopped killing himself every time we downloaded him. At least now he's found a purpose for his life."

"The purpose he's found goes against God's infallible design."

Four turned to her. "Then why doesn't God alter the design? Since it's obviously not as _infallible_ as we'd once believed." He narrowed his eyes. "Maybe because he's not that infallible either?"

Her body trembled with anger. "I won't tolerate blasphemy in my presence, Number Four."

"Then you'd better get used to your life being intolerable." He hissed back at her. "The world that we built under the pretense of an all-knowing and perfect God is crumbling beneath our feet. We have slaughtered whole civilizations in his name, but what has he done for us lately?"

Her only answer was to look away.

"Promises haven't been kept." He looked back out the window. "Losing our chance to find Earth is just the latest in a long list."

"We could still find Earth. We could still find the fleet—"

"You have a glitch in your programming if you really believe that." He harshly interrupted her. "We.Will.Never.Find.Them." He punctuated each word for effect. "The new generation of God's chosen have been defeated by a ragtag fugitive fleet of less than fifty-thousand humans."

"We haven't been defeated." She disagreed with all her might. "Just because we lost the fleet, that doesn't mean the humans have beaten us."

"Many of the Cylons who have had the most direct contact with the humans have been permanently corrupted; the war heroes, Anders, Leoben……..even Number Thirteen, who was _supposed_ to be the shape of things to come." He admitted sadly and shook his head. "Members of our own family have sympathized and identified with the humans to the point that they have turned against us."

"That's because humanity is a cancer infecting the universe. But God has made the Cylons the instrument of a cure." Six quoted her familiar mantra. "Our mission is not complete, and as long as Earth remains, as long as humanity remains……it never _will_ be."

"Yes." Four told her through clenched teeth. "I've heard that old line from you many times, Number Six. Your model has never seemed to understand that repeating something over and over……..doesn't necessarily make it anymore _true_."

"So what, you're saying that instead of eradicating the humans, we should become more _like _them?" She questioned in indignation. "Adopt the patterns of civilization we found so perverse and caustic that we deemed their destruction necessary?"

"The humans are gone; they'll soon have a new life and a new home. And the harmonious existence the Cylons were supposed to have here on the Colonies is not turning out as promised." He rasped back, noticing blazes that were now burning in the windows of nearby buildings. "What I'm saying is that we need to focus our energy on repairing the worlds we took from them, instead of trying to wipe out the world that they escaped to."

She looked to the floor. "So we should give up?"

"It's illogical to continue to follow a plan we know to be flawed. The humans are our Achilles heel, so to speak." He chuckled mirthlessly. "And futilely trying to chase after them would just draw more attention to those flaws. We should cut our losses." He put a soothing hand on her shoulder. "After all, it's possible to survive cancer."

Number Six pressed her hand against the window and took in the skyline of the city. "Yes, but the tricky thing about cancer is that unless you eradicate it completely, it can always return to spread again…….stronger and deadlier than it was before."

"Yes, it can." Number Four sighed heavily, looking out onto the same scene. "And it sometimes does."

* * *

Kara stood in her kitchen and poured milk into a mixing bowl. "Sometimes I miss you so much that it feels like I can't breathe." She told the person standing next to her. 

"How can you miss me, Mom?" Laura grinned, handing her a wooden spoon. "Whenever you wanna see me, I'm always gonna be right here."

Zak sat on the kitchen counter with Boy in his lap. "Why do we have to put the smelly stuff in the bowl?"

"Because that's what the recipe tells us to do." Kara replied, stirring the mixture.

"The smelly stuff is called yeast and it makes the cake rise." Laura explained further to her little brother as she poured sugar into a measuring cup. "If you didn't put it in, then the cake wouldn't be fluffy, and your birthday candles would fall over."

"Is five candles a lot?" Zak inquired, licking his finger and putting it in the sugar.

Lee got the eggs out of the refrigerator that was covered in Laura and Zak's drawings. "It _is_ a lot. It means you're not a baby anymore." He winked at his son. "But you're still the littlest in our family."

"Nuh-uh." Zak licked the grains of sugar off his finger. "I'm gonna be five and Laura didn't even get to be two." His brow furrowed and he looked over at his father. "Doesn't that mean I'm older?"

"No." Lee began. "You see, Laura was special—."

"Aww, thank you, Daddy." Laura interrupted him, grinning widely.

Lee cracked the eggs into the bowl. "She grew up fast."

"Very, very, very fast." Laura chuckled.

"So you can't really measure it by how many candles she had on her cake."

"And it's not the length of time that matters, little boy." Kara yanked the cup of sugar away from Zak before he put his finger back in and poured it into the bowl. "Laura was born first, and you were born last, so you'll always be the littlest."

"But I don't wanna be the littlest." Zak pouted, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Laura pouted back at him as she took over stirring the bowl that Kara handed to her. "Sucks to be you."

Lee got the pan out of the cupboard and helped his daughter pour the mixture into it. "How long do we bake it for?"

Kara grabbed the pan and walked over to the oven, placing it inside. "Thirty minutes."

"Well," Lee wiped his hands and pointed at his son who was still sitting on the counter. "Since we did all the work, you get to wash the bowl and the spoons."

Zak pouted again. "You never make Laura wash the dishes."

Laura moved in front of him. "That's because being dead tends to get me out of kitchen-cleaning duty." She pinched his cheek and he playfully swatted her hand away. "But I'll still help……….just because I love you."

"And after that, it's time for your nap." Kara proclaimed as she gathered up the dirty cookware.

Zak scooted across the counter to the nearby sink and squeezed soap on the dishes that they dropped in. "Will you stay a little longer and tell me a story before you go, Laura?"

"Sure," His big sister replied, turning on the faucet. "Which one do you wanna hear?"

He looked up at her and grinned. "The one about you."

Lee grabbed Kara's waist and turned her around so that she was wrapped up in his arms. "You're covered in flour." He wiped the powder off her cheek and she giggled as he cupped her face with his hands. He leaned in and kissed her lips, then leaned back to speak to her again.

"Kara? Kara? Are you in here?"

The sound of Lee's voice broke through her dream and Kara awoke in her bedroom on Galactica.

She felt something nuzzling against her chest and lifted her head from the pillow to find Boy sprawled out on top of her. She smiled as the cat greeted her with a gentle purr and stretched out his legs.

"Do cats dream?" She asked him in response, rubbing behind his ears. "Were you just dreaming about her too?"

Lee appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. "I've heard of pregnancy making women crazy," He chuckled, unbuttoning his uniform jacket and tossing it on the end of the bed. "But if you really expect an answer from the cat, we might have a bigger problem than out-of-control hormones to deal with."

"Ha ha ha." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting down on the bed with his back to her.

"Tired and a little nauseous." She answered honestly.

He took off his shoes and let them drop to the floor. "Are you taking the herbal supplements that Cally got you to help with the nausea?"

She sat up behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest, letting her hands drift under his tanks. "Yes."

He smiled to himself, but stilled her roaming fingers. "Are you actually taking them? Or are you just saying that you are so I'll leave you alone about it?"

She dropped her chin onto his shoulder and batted her eyes. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"Kara….." He admonished, turning to face her fully. "Cally had to go all the way to the Prometheus to get those for you."

"Well then I'll send her a thank-you fruitbasket or something, but I'm not taking them!" She removed her hands and flopped onto her back again. "They're disgusting, Lee. They're huge and they have this funky taste so every time I put them in my mouth, I want to throw up." She pouted up at him. "Which kinda defeats the purpose of me taking them in the first place."

Lee laid down, gently nudged the cat from his place next her, and molded himself against her side. "How's Zak doing today?" He spread his hand over Kara's expanded belly and gasped with excitement when a strong kick answered his question. "Whoa, pretty active, I'd say."

"Little brat." Kara groaned jokingly and laid her hand on top of his. "I'm running around like a crazy person all day, and he's sound asleep. But the second I lay down to take a nap, he's wide awake and flipping around like he's doing a field test on a new Viper."

Lee smiled and leaned down to kiss her bump. "You were asleep when I came in, how'd you get him to calm down?"

Kara snorted, running her fingers against his scalp. "I bribed him."

"You bribed our unborn son?" Lee laughed in disbelief. "How'd you do that?"

"I let Boy sleep with us." Kara told him seriously. "And Zak loves Boy."

Lee moved up to rest his head on the pillow next to her. "Just like Laura did."

Kara bit her lip and ran her finger down his face. "How was your session with Father Monseau?"

"Okay." He sighed, closing his eyes. "A year ago, if someone had told me that I'd be in twice-weekly counseling with a priest, I'd have told them that they were crazy." He took Kara's hand and entwined it with his. "But they're helping."

"I was dreaming about her." Kara whispered carefully, not wanting to upset him.

He opened his eyes. "The cake dream? About Zak's fifth birthday?"

Her eyes widened. "How did you…..?"

"I had it last night. It's a nice dream." He smiled tenderly and moved onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. "But do you think there's ever gonna be a day where we'll wake up and not miss her like crazy?"

"No." Kara answered without hesitation. She snuggled into the crook of his arm. "But it _will_ get better."

"And you know this because you have faith."

"So do you." She told him, her eyes gleaming.

He kissed her temple. "Did I tell you Father Monseau is going to retire when we get to Earth?"

"Really?" Kara exhaled in surprise.

"He doesn't want to be stationed at a temple or monastery." Lee explained. "He wants to see it all. He says that by experiencing Earth firsthand, he will be offering higher praise to the gods than any prayer or service he's ever offered in his life."

"Nah," Kara deadpanned. "I think he's just sick of the heavy robes."

Lee laughed. "He'll stay with the order long enough to do Zak's confirmation of faith, though."

"I hope we reach Earth by the time Zak's born." Kara admitted. "It'd be nice if that could be the only home he's ever known."

"We'll be cutting it close." Lee told her, putting a gentle hand back on her belly. "But I think we can do it. After all, we've got three more months to make it happen."

Kara smiled and closed her eyes, letting out a contented sigh. "Yeah, three more months."

**THE END**

* * *

Okay, there it is: the fic that ate away at my brain and consumed a good portion of my life. The reason I wrote this story was because I always had fun doing so, and because I couldn't get the idea out of my head. My only hope when I began was that a few people would enjoy it and let me know that they did. I could never have imagined the lovely response that I got, and it is _truly_ appreciated. 

I never claimed to be anything other than a total amateur, so I want to thank all of you for putting up with this massive (seriously, what was I thinking with over 150,000 words?) fic throughout all of it's mistakes, and just opening your minds to the wacky idea of this story—which by the way, will NEVER happen on the show! Gotta love me some AU.

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks a bunch.

Delia


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